Perceived pervasive ambiguity in the onset of COVID-19: Media dependency and social media sharing in Seoul, Tokyo, and New York

The study applies the concept of perceived pervasive ambiguity and media system dependency theory to examine how the situation surrounding the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic influenced people's media dependency and the likelihood of sharing information, opinions, and feelings on social media. Perceived pervasive ambiguity refers to the inherent difficulties individuals encounter in making sense of the information available to them, arising from their perceptions of societal-level unpredictability. Employing cross-national survey data collected in Seoul, Tokyo, and New York City (NYC) at strategic points of high concern for each country in February and March 2020, structural equation modeling analyses revealed that individuals with higher levels of perceived pervasive ambiguity also exhibited greater dependency on five types of media: TV, print newspapers, radio, online newspapers, and portal sites. Those with higher perceived pervasive ambiguity and dependency on print newspapers, radio, and online newspapers were more likely to share their thoughts and opinions about COVID-19 on social media. Cross-city differences based on multi-group analyses and the implications of the findings are discussed.