Purpose

Academics recently identified a lack of research regarding who should guide interactions in virtual social networks when risks appear. Data shows that organizers are usually less active than other users in this context, which can lead to negative reactions among attendees. This research examines if and how virtual social network communication guided by an official source (vs a nonofficial source vs control group) reduces perceived crime risks and trust before the event, leading to lower ambivalence and higher intention to attend. The study was conducted in Colombia, a country where many individuals face this type of risk.

Design/methodology/approach

First-year university students (N = 210) from Colombia were invited to a “Welcome Cocktail”. Two weeks before the cocktail, they were divided into three groups (70 per condition) to receive information. In Group 1, participants were invited to be part of a WhatsApp group administered by one of the organizers. In Group 2, they participated in a WhatsApp group administered by a student. Group 3 was the control (i.e. no virtual communication established before the event). One week after the meeting, they were gathered again and answered a questionnaire, which measured perceived crime risk, trust, ambivalence and intention to attend.

Findings

Participants in the WhatsApp group administered by an official source perceived lower risk and higher trust in the organizers, which led to lower ambivalence towards the event and higher intention to attend it. The relationship between ambivalence and intention to attend is moderated by the nationality of the participants (locals vs foreigners), such as, at equal levels of ambivalence, foreigners show lower intention to attend the event.

Originality/value

This is the first study that compares different approaches on a virtual social network to reduce perceived crime risk in event management. The results present new findings on how the presence of an official source can mitigate this risk, and which potential attendees (i.e. locals vs foreigners) are especially benefited from it. The findings are particularly useful for managers in regions where attendees face crime risks every day, and might feel low trust towards public and private institutions, such as in Colombia.

中文翻译：

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在预期阶段使用虚拟社交网络来降低感知的犯罪风险并增加对组织者的信任

目的

学术界最近发现，缺乏关于当风险出现时谁应该指导虚拟社交网络中的互动的研究。数据显示，在这种情况下，组织者通常不如其他用户活跃，这可能会导致与会者的负面反应。这项研究探讨了官方来源（与非官方来源与对照组）指导的虚拟社交网络通信是否以及如何降低活动前的感知犯罪风险和信任，从而降低矛盾心理并提高参加意愿。这项研究是在哥伦比亚进行的，该国许多人都面临此类风险。

设计/方法论/途径

来自哥伦比亚的一年级大学生（N  = 210）受邀参加“欢迎鸡尾酒会”。在鸡尾酒会前两周，他们被分成三组（每种情况 70 人）来接收信息。在第一组中，参与者被邀请加入由组织者之一管理的 WhatsApp 群组。在第二组中，他们参加了由一名学生管理的 WhatsApp 群组。第 3 组是对照组（即在事件发生之前没有建立虚拟通信）。会议一周后，他们再次聚集并回答了一份调查问卷，该调查衡量了感知的犯罪风险、信任、矛盾心理和参加意愿。

发现

由官方消息人士管理的 WhatsApp 群组的参与者认为风险较低，对组织者的信任度较高，这导致对活动的矛盾情绪较低，参加活动的意愿较高。矛盾心理和参加意愿之间的关系受到参与者国籍（当地人与外国人）的调节，例如，在相同的矛盾心理水平下，外国人表现出较低的参加活动的意愿。

原创性/价值

这是第一项比较虚拟社交网络上降低事件管理中感知犯罪风险的不同方法的研究。研究结果提出了关于官方消息来源如何减轻这种风险以及哪些潜在参与者（即当地人与外国人）特别从中受益的新发现。这些发现对于与会者每天面临犯罪风险并且可能对公共和私人机构信任度较低的地区（例如哥伦比亚）的管理人员特别有用。