ERIC Number: EJ1220612
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1134-3478
EISSN: N/A
Online News Recommendations Credibility: The Tie Is Mightier than the Source
Comunicar: Media Education Research Journal, v27 n60 p71-80 2019
In this paper, we wish to examine the perceived credibility of news items shared through Social Networking Sites (SNS) -- specifically, as a function of tie strength and perceived credibility of the media source from which the content originated. We utilized a between-subjects design. The Facebook account of each participant (N=217) was analyzed. Based on this analysis, our participants were shown a fictitious Facebook post that was presumably shared by one of their Facebook friends with whom they had either a strong social tie (experiment group), or a weak social tie (control group). All recipients were then asked about their perceptions regarding the news source (from which the item presumably originated), and their perception regarding the credibility of the presented item. Our findings indicate that the strength of the social tie between the sharer of the item and its recipient mediates the effect of the credibility perception regarding the news source, and the perceived item credibility, as well as the likelihood of searching for additional information regarding the topic presented in the shared item.
Descriptors: News Reporting, Credibility, Information Sources, Social Influences, Users (Information), Information Seeking, Online Searching, News Media, Trust (Psychology), Sharing Behavior, Beliefs, Social Networks, Foreign Countries, Undergraduate Students, Private Colleges
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Israel
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A