EXPRESS: How Socially Perceived Threat Shapes Preventive Behavior in the Context of COVID-19

Social technologies have revolutionized global connectivity, enabling instant sharing of information and virtual experiences of real-time events. In the context of natural disasters, including pandemics like COVID-19, these technologies can facilitate the dissemination of crucial localized information via social connectivity, enhancing awareness and preventive behavior even in areas not immediately threatened by the disaster or virus. Our paper investigates the relationship between socially perceived threats, shaped by social technologies and shared information on social media, and individuals’ preventive behavior, while controlling for immediate virus threats in local and neighboring areas. In Study 1, we establish that socially perceived threats, measured by the volume of COVID-19-related tweets in socially connected areas, positively correlate with preventive behavior after accounting for immediate virus threats. Study 2 delves into this phenomenon, revealing a notable association between COVID-19-related communication, particularly tweets regarding self-infection or severe symptoms, and increased preventive behavior. Intriguingly, subjective expressions of this social information are found to correlate with a heightened socially perceived threat, further promoting preventive behavior. Our paper contributes to the emerging field of operations management and information systems by highlighting the pivotal role of social technologies in shaping public perception and response during disaster early stages. We achieve this through the integration of diverse datasets, advancing our understanding of societal resilience and sustainability in the face of catastrophic events.