Abstract
Loneliness and misinformation have both been recognized as critical public health concerns, often described as an epidemic and an infodemic, respectively, due to their widespread impact on large populations. However, little is known about how these two issues may be connected. This dissertation addresses this gap by adopting a novel perspective that explores the relationship between loneliness and misinformation through social identity. Drawing on social identity theory and motivated reasoning theory, Study 1 employs a quasi-experimental design to examine the existence of this relationship and how are they associated. Building on these findings, Study 2 extends the investigation by exploring how loneliness may intensify individuals’ perceptions to specific types of content in social media environments, focusing on the role of the repost function and identity language. Together, this dissertation offers valuable insights for both public health and communication research by highlighting the impact of loneliness on group identification and individuals’ responsiveness to language and social cues within digital media environments.