Put money where their mouth is? Willingness to pay for online conspiracy theory content
Many studies have examined why people believe in conspiracy theories, yet less is known about why people choose to consume conspiratorial content. This study addresses this gap by examining people's willingness to pay for online conspiracy theory content. Grounded in uses and gratifications the...
| 發表在: | Telematics and Informatics Reports |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , , |
| 格式: | Article |
| 語言: | 英语 |
| 出版: |
Elsevier
2024-06-01
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| 主題: | |
| 在線閱讀: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772503024000276 |
| _version_ | 1850263972431790080 |
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| author | John W. Cheng Masaru Nishikawa Ikuma Ogura Nicholas A.R. Fraser |
| author_facet | John W. Cheng Masaru Nishikawa Ikuma Ogura Nicholas A.R. Fraser |
| author_sort | John W. Cheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| container_title | Telematics and Informatics Reports |
| description | Many studies have examined why people believe in conspiracy theories, yet less is known about why people choose to consume conspiratorial content. This study addresses this gap by examining people's willingness to pay for online conspiracy theory content. Grounded in uses and gratifications theory and the willingness to pay concept, it employs a survey experiment fielded in Japan (n = 1,448) that asks respondents whether they would subscribe to a hypothetical online video channel with a randomly assigned conspiracy theory and a monthly subscription fee (0 to 1,000 JPY/∼9 USD). Results show that while many respondents held varying degrees of belief in the conspiracy theories in question, few were willing to pay for the channel and cost was the main determining factor. The subscription rate would drop from 19 % if the channel was free to 3–5 % if it had a non-zero subscription fee (average 324 JPY/∼3 USD). This study also finds that conspiracy mentality and media diet (the combination of using social media for news and avoiding mainstream media news) are consistent predictors of people's willingness to subscribe to and pay for online conspiracy theory content. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e87c3dd08f2f4eccafbcf148d9bb3614 |
| institution | Directory of Open Access Journals |
| issn | 2772-5030 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| spelling | doaj-art-e87c3dd08f2f4eccafbcf148d9bb36142025-08-19T23:45:44ZengElsevierTelematics and Informatics Reports2772-50302024-06-011410014110.1016/j.teler.2024.100141Put money where their mouth is? Willingness to pay for online conspiracy theory contentJohn W. Cheng0Masaru Nishikawa1Ikuma Ogura2Nicholas A.R. Fraser3Department of English, College of Liberal Arts, Tsuda University; Corresponding author at: Department of English, College of Liberal Arts, Tsuda University, 2-1-1 Tsuda-machi, Kodaira-shi, Tokyo, Japan, 187-8577.Department of International and Cultural Studies, College of Liberal Arts, Tsuda UniversityGraduate School of Social Sciences, Hitotsubashi UniversityCanada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Migration and Integration, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityMany studies have examined why people believe in conspiracy theories, yet less is known about why people choose to consume conspiratorial content. This study addresses this gap by examining people's willingness to pay for online conspiracy theory content. Grounded in uses and gratifications theory and the willingness to pay concept, it employs a survey experiment fielded in Japan (n = 1,448) that asks respondents whether they would subscribe to a hypothetical online video channel with a randomly assigned conspiracy theory and a monthly subscription fee (0 to 1,000 JPY/∼9 USD). Results show that while many respondents held varying degrees of belief in the conspiracy theories in question, few were willing to pay for the channel and cost was the main determining factor. The subscription rate would drop from 19 % if the channel was free to 3–5 % if it had a non-zero subscription fee (average 324 JPY/∼3 USD). This study also finds that conspiracy mentality and media diet (the combination of using social media for news and avoiding mainstream media news) are consistent predictors of people's willingness to subscribe to and pay for online conspiracy theory content.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772503024000276Conspiracy theory beliefConspiracy theoryOnline conspiracy theory contentUses and gratificationsWillingness to pay |
| spellingShingle | John W. Cheng Masaru Nishikawa Ikuma Ogura Nicholas A.R. Fraser Put money where their mouth is? Willingness to pay for online conspiracy theory content Conspiracy theory belief Conspiracy theory Online conspiracy theory content Uses and gratifications Willingness to pay |
| title | Put money where their mouth is? Willingness to pay for online conspiracy theory content |
| title_full | Put money where their mouth is? Willingness to pay for online conspiracy theory content |
| title_fullStr | Put money where their mouth is? Willingness to pay for online conspiracy theory content |
| title_full_unstemmed | Put money where their mouth is? Willingness to pay for online conspiracy theory content |
| title_short | Put money where their mouth is? Willingness to pay for online conspiracy theory content |
| title_sort | put money where their mouth is willingness to pay for online conspiracy theory content |
| topic | Conspiracy theory belief Conspiracy theory Online conspiracy theory content Uses and gratifications Willingness to pay |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772503024000276 |
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