Dual processing models such as the ELM have dominated the persuasion literature by stating that there are two qualitatively different routes of persuasion: a primary or “systematic” route and a secondary “peripheral” route. The Unimodel introduces a challenge to this model by stating that persuasion occurs through a single syllogistic reasoning process and not by a qualitative distinction between persuasive modes. The intent of this study is to examine health messages via Twitter, a microblogging social media, by comparing the two models. The experiment (n= 174) was conducted by varying argument quality, authority type and measuring levels of involvement. The data was not consistent with the theoretical framework of the ELM as no interaction effects were found. There was partial support for the Unimodel as interaction effects were found with perceived message relevance and argument quality against behavior intention and attitude. Persuasive components of argument quality and authority were found to have strong main effects on message credibility. Theoretical implications of these findings are discussed as well as the limitations and directions for future studies.
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