The Effects of Attractiveness and Source Expertise on Online Health Sites

ABSTRACT

The surface characteristics (presentational or design elements) of online content have been the focus of a growing body of credibility literature in recent decades. However, since the online health information communities such as WebMD do not provide any design options when writing comments on the original post, how the simplistic presentational of comments (e.g., spacing, bullet-points, labeling, and line breaks) can affect web users’ responses was examined. Our study found that minimal variations in the presentation of online contents can influence assessments of their credibility and behavioral intentions. In addition, the current study revealed interaction effects between surface characteristics and source expertise. Other findings and implications are discussed.