If Internet Credibility is so Iffy, Then Why The Heavy Use? The Relationship Between Medium use and Credibility.
researchers:
Carmen Stavrositu (graduate student) and Dr. S. Shyam Sundar . This paper was presented at the 56th annual conference of the International Communication Association, Dresden, Germany, 2006.
Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. S. Shyam Sundar
Introduction
The relationship between medium use and credibility has been unexplored.
research question
Just because we use the Internet extensively, does it mean we think it is very credible?
Method
This study uses a large survey (N = 1089).
Results
Results reveal that Internet credibility is predicted by both Internet and newspaper use, as well as by Internet use for information purposes, but not by Internet use for entertainment purposes. One could be using the Internet mostly for entertainment, disregarding the medium’s credibility. Even if one is using the Internet for information, one probably seeks validation and corroboration from more traditional sources such as newspapers. In which case, newspaper use appears to predict both one’s Internet use and perceptions of Internet credibility.
Conclusions
Extensive use the Internet does not necessarily lead to credibility. |