Higher Numbers = More Important? Social Media Metrics and Their Agenda-Cueing Effects in Anti-Secondhand Smoke Persuasion

Social media metrics can exert persuasive influences. Integrating the agenda-cueing effect into the influence of presumed influence framework, the study explores how social media metrics influence individuals' perceptions of others' agendas, which further contribute to individuals' engagement outcomes in the context of anti-secondhand smoke (SHS) health persuasion campaigns. A between-subject online experiment investigating three types of social media metrics (i.e., "views," "likes," and "shares and comments") was conducted in China (N = 415). Results showed that higher "views" significantly increased perceived issue importance to important others, which consistently correlated with social media engagement but significantly correlated with anti-SHS policy support only among participants who ever smoked. "Likes" and "shares and comments" primarily impacted perceived issue importance to social media users, which was positively associated with anti-SHS policy support. Theoretically, this study unravels the nuances of social media metrics as agenda cues and differentiates perceived issue importance to two referent units. Practically, the findings suggest the utility of fostering sharing and commenting behavior in social media health campaigns and highlighting certain normative information during anti-SHS message tailoring.