The COVID-19 pandemic may have reached a turning point as the World Health Organization and the global community of nations step up plans for mass vaccination campaigns. However, the COVID-19 vaccine-related conspiracy theories (e.g., falsehoods about birth control, women infertility, surveillance, and microchip humanity, etc.) have built new momentum for vaccine hesitancy. To this end, several nations worldwide, including Pakistan, are struggling to boost public trust and enthusiasm to get vaccinated, especially in an anxious and complicated atmosphere propelled by multiple, new and the deadliest variants of COVID-19. To address this critical research gap during these intensifying conditions of vaccine hesitancy, the present study makes the first attempt to explore the potential effects of various communication strategies, including public service message (safety benefits versus fear appraisals), media types (i.e., traditional versus digital), self-efficacy, perceived benefits and threats (susceptibility and severity), on the willingness to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Importantly, the underlying effects of public skepticism (in a moderating role) on these relationships were empirically examined. Using four fictitious COVID-19 immunization campaigns in a series of experiments with 2 (media type: traditional vs. digital) X 2 (service attribute: health and safety benefits vs. fear) message frames (represented as Group one to Group four), the findings identified fear appraisal as the most viable communication strategy in combating vaccine hesitancy. Moreover, public skepticism negatively moderated the effects of media types and public service message attributes on willingness to get vaccinated in relatively high (i.e., Group two), moderate (i.e., Group one and four), and low intensities (i.e., Group three). The pioneering findings of this research offer new strategic insights for the global health authorities and vaccine promoters to proactively address the downward spiral of people’s willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

Background and Purpose: Watching multiple episodes using streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu, and Youku, has become widespread in recent years. While much attention has been paid to binge-watching, there is, however, a dearth of research on binge-watching and its adverse psychological effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. To the best of our knowledge, less attention has been paid to understanding the multiple influences of binge-watching on binge-watchers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the past studies on this topic mainly underscored the individual’s motivations for binge-watching. Also, past studies were limited and inconclusive as they mostly espoused only the underpinning adverse effects of binge-watching without looking into the association between binge-watching and screen time for web series through online streaming services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study sought to fill this gap by probing the association between binge-watching and psychological aftereffects. Participants and Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional research design vis-à-vis the survey method. A sample of 1089 adult respondents was collected through an online administrated questionnaire. Results: The findings of this study demonstrated that extensive binge-watching is an antecedent of stress, loneliness, insomnia, depression and anxiety. Furthermore, it was found that screen time on binge-watching could intensify these adverse effects of binge-watching. Interestingly, the moderating effect of screen time on binge-watching was found to be insignificant for stress and loneliness. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that binge-watching correlates with psychological and mental health symptoms including stress, loneliness, insomnia, depression and anxiety. Hence, this study suggests that consumption of web series through online streaming services related literacy interventions are imperative to help the audience become critical about online streaming content and its comparison to the real social world.