Impacts of the COVID-19 infodemic on emotions through cognitive appraisals Wenna Han Department of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA Hanna Lee College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA Yingjiao Xu Department of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, and Yang Cheng Department of Communication, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA Abstract Purpose – The COVID-19 outbreak has been accompanied by a massive “infodemic”, characterized by an overabundance of information, both accurate and inaccurate, making it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance. This study aims to investigate how the COVID-19 infodemic (i.e. information overload and untrustworthiness) influences consumers’ emotions (i.e. fear, anxiety and hope) by shaping their cognitive appraisals of the pandemic (i.e. perceived risk and uncertainty). Additionally, this study also investigates how individual differences (i.e. COVID-19 involvement and infection experience) impact their emotion formation process. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 815 US consumers aged between 18 and 65 in November 2021 via an online survey. Structural equation modeling and multi-group comparison from AMOS 23 were used to test the proposed relationships. Findings – Information overload increased one’s perceived risk and perceived uncertainty of COVID-19, which, in turn, structured the emotional states of fear, anxiety and hope. Information untrustworthiness had a significant impact on risk perception, which led to an increased feeling of fear. Additionally, individuals’ COVID-19 involvement and their infection experience with the coronavirus were found to moderate the cognitive appraisal process in developing emotions. Originality/value – This study offers insights into the relationships between the information landscape and cognitive appraisals regarding health crises, specifically the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only enriching emotional well-being literature, it also lends managerial implications for effective communication strategies in global health emergencies. Peer review – The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR- 12-2023-0616 Keywords Infodemic, Information overload, Information untrustworthiness, COVID-19, Cognitive appraisal theory, Emotion Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has been influencing people’s lives profoundly since its global outbreak in 2020. As a typical crisis event, the pandemic is associated with a high level of Online Information Review This work was supported by the Non-laboratory Scholarship/Research Support Program (NSRP) at North Carolina State University. The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/1468-4527.htm Received 3 December 2023 Revised 18 March 2024 9 April 2024 Accepted 12 April 2024 Online Information Review © Emerald Publishing Limited 1468-4527 DOI 10.1108/OIR-12-2023-0616