Accidently acquired? Examining the conditional indirect effects of social media incidental news exposure on knowledge of COVID-19

Anchored by the extended Cognitive Mediation Model (CMM), this study relies on a survey sample from China (N = 1333) to examine the relationship between social media incidental news exposure (INE) and knowledge of COVID-19. Findings showed that the association between social media INE and knowledge of COVID-19 was not significant. However, cognitive elaboration was a significant mediator, namely, INE was positively tied to cognitive elaboration, which in turn facilitated knowledge. Furthermore, discussion network heterogeneity functioned as a moderator. Specifically, the positive mediated association between INE and knowledge was more positive among those with a higher level of discussion network heterogeneity. This study extended the traditional CMM through using INE as the main independent variable, adapting to the current ambient news environment. Results of this study not only enriched the extant literature of CMM but also provided novel credence to the effects of INE on learning in the context of COVID-19.