Understanding the Viral Spread of GMO Risk Information

This chapter examines how GMO risk information can spread virally on social media by investigating three key factors: message characteristics, contextual cues, and network structures. Through an analysis of 2,444 information cascades of GMO risk-related posts on Weibo, this chapter explores how these dimensions shape both the diffusion size and structural virality of GMO risk information. The findings reveal that content characteristics, including the type of risk expressed in messages, influence how widely and virally they spread. Specifically, posts expressing unknown risks tend to have reduced diffusion, while those expressing dread risks achieve greater reach. Notably, contextual factors are more influential than message characteristics in explaining diffusion patterns. The chapter also highlights the crucial role of network structures, particularly core-user repost networks and interest networks, in determining how information spreads. Furthermore, this current study uncovers important interaction effects between network structures and risk types, demonstrating the complex interplay of factors driving GMO risk information diffusion on social media.