Short-video platforms' health information dissemination logic and user trust construction mechanisms
Yidan Chen
University of Shanghai for Science and Technology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/pmcs.v7i4.12801
Keywords: short-video platforms; health information; dissemination logic; user trust; credibility cues; algorithmic governance
Abstract
This study investigates the dissemination logic of health information on short-video platforms and analyzes the mechanisms through which users develop trust toward such content. As short-video platforms increasingly function as major channels of public health communication, understanding how information is produced, organized, and transmitted—And how users evaluate and internalize it—Is essential for improving the quality of online health ecosystems. Drawing from communication theory, trust construction models, and platform governance studies, this paper constructs an integrated analytical framework involving content attributes, algorithmic mediation, social interaction patterns, and user cognition. It identifies the structural asymmetry between content supply and user interpretation, reveals how algorithmic amplification shapes information visibility, and explains how credibility cues interact with personal involvement to generate trust. Research findings indicate that users' trust formation results from a dynamic interplay between platform-level signals, creator credibility, narrative strategies, and communal endorsement. The study contributes to a systematic understanding of digital health communication and proposes a set of strategies to enhance reliability, transparency, and user empowerment in short-video environments.
References
[1] Chou, W.-Y. S., Oh, A., Klein, W. (2018). Addressing health-related misinformation on social media. JAMA, 320(23), 2417–2418.
[2] Vraga, E. K., Bode, L. (2020). Correction as a solution for health misinformation on social media. American Journal of Public Health, 110(S3), S278–S280.
[3] Tandoc, E. C., Ling, R., Westlund, O. (2022). From misinformation to meaningful content: Trust and credibility on social platforms. Digital Journalism,10(1), 1–20.
[4] Chen, X., Sin, S.-C. J. (2013). Consumers' health information credibility evaluation in online communities. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 64(1), 149–163.
[5] Metzger, M. J.,Flanagin, A. J. (2015). Credibility and trust in digital environments. Journal of Pragmatics, 78, 155–168.