Table A1.
Measures for constructs.
| Construct | No. | Item | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Informational dependency | ID1 | I usually get information through social media during COVID-19. | [30] |
| ID2 | I usually utilize information gained from social media during COVID-19. | ||
| ID3 | I immediately update information received from social media during COVID-19. | ||
| Social dependency | SD1 | I consider how to act with friends, relatives, or acquaintances in social media during COVID-19. | [30] |
| SD2 | I get ideas about how to approach others from social media during COVID-19. | ||
| SD3 | I have something to do with my friends by using social media during COVID-19. | ||
| SD4 | I use social media to have fun with family or friends during COVID-19. | ||
| SD5 | By using social media, I am a part of social events without having to be there during COVID-19. | ||
| Perceived information timeliness | PIT1 | The information about COVID-19 on social media is current. | [47] |
| PIT2 | The information about COVID-19 on social media is timely. | ||
| PIT3 | The information about COVID-19 on social media is up to date. | ||
| Perceived socialization | PS1 | I talk about things with others while using social media during COVID-19. | [51] |
| PS2 | I feel like I belong to a community while using social media during COVID-19. | ||
| PS3 | I meet interesting people while using social media during COVID-19. | ||
| PS4 | I get peer support from others while using social media during COVID-19. | ||
| Information overload | IO1 | I am often distracted by the excessive amount of information on social medial about COVID-19. | [2] |
| IO2 | I find that I am overwhelmed by the amount of information that I process on a daily basis from social media about COVID-19. | ||
| IO3 | I receive too much information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic to form a coherent picture of what’s happening. | ||
| Social overload | SO1 | I care too much about my friends’ well-being on social media during COVID-19. | [57] |
| SO2 | I deal too much with my friends’ problems on social media during COVID-19. | ||
| SO3 | I care for my friends too much on social media during COVID-19. | ||
| SO4 | I pay too much attention to my friends’ posts on social media during COVID-19. | ||
| Positive affect | Participants were asked to rate the intensity of the emotion they experienced in a particular situation during COVID-19: PA1: desire; PA2: relaxation; PA3: happiness. |
[39] | |
| Negative affect | Participants were asked to rate the intensity of the emotion they experienced in a particular situation during COVID-19: NA1: sadness; NA2: fear; NA3: anger; NA4: shock. |
[40] | |
| Misinformation sharing | MIS1 | I have shared content related to the COVID-19 virus that I later found out was a hoax. | [2,36] |
| MIS2 | I share content on COVID-19 even if sometimes I feel the content may not be correct. | ||
| MIS3 | I share content on social media related to COVID-19 without checking facts through trusted sources. | ||
| All items are using seven-point Likert scale, with 1 = strongly disagree; 7 = strongly agree. | |||
This questionnaire can be found at: https://www.wjx.cn/vm/exUK4m9.aspx#, accessed on 15 January 2020.