The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted lifestyles, rendering masks essential during the outbreak. Following the Chinese government’s repeal of mandatory mask-wearing policies through the “Twenty Articles” and “New Ten Articles,” this study delves into consumers’ post-pandemic willingness to purchase masks. By leveraging social media and product review data, analyzed using a binary logistic regression model, the research explores the factors influencing consumers’ purchase intentions. Contrary to expectations, health and safety were not the primary motivations for mask purchases, while utilitarian motives and self-efficacy exhibited a negative correlation with purchase intention. The study contributes theoretically by introducing a model grounded in the Massive Online Analysis  (MOA) framework, examining motivation, opportunity, and ability factors in post-pandemic consumer behavior. Additionally, it explores signaling theory in the context of consumers’ willingness to purchase masks, adding depth to the understanding of such purchasing situations. Practical implications include refining post-pandemic selling strategies for dual-use goods and informing decision-makers about policies related to epidemic prevention products. The study’s insights are valuable for shaping future research on market dynamics and consumer behavior concerning epidemic prevention products