RESIDENTS PERCEPTION ON THEE
CREDIBILITY OF NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Abstract
This
study examined the perception of residents of Abuja on news credibility on
social media. Seeing as social media involve users‟ generated content, the
sources and reliability of these contents are sometimes uncertain. With the
credibility problem associated with social media news, it is essential to
determine the extent to which social media users judge the news content they
receive from these social media. This study adopted a survey research design
with a sample size of 384 respondents. Findings show that social media have
become a major source of news among residents in Abuja because of the media‟
interactivity, connectivity, propinquity and speed of dissemination. Besides,
over 89 percent use of social media mainly due to its ease. Nevertheless, the
level of credibility of social network is still very small; an indication of
low-level credibility of the social media. It is, therefore, essential that
social media users ensure exchange of credible information and users should
always crosscheck information obtained with other available sources before
approval and possible second distribution.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background study
The Internet has become integrated into
our lives as an important, if not very essential tool for information and
communication (Fallows, 2005). The large quantity of information available
online combined with heavy reliance on the Internet by information seekers
raise issues of the credibility or quality of information found online.
Credibility in this context refers to the believability or reliability of some
information or its source (Hovland, Janis, s& Kelley, 1953). A long history
of research finds that credibility is a multifaceted concept with two primary
dimensions: expertise and trustworthiness. Secondary factors affect credibility
perceptions as well, including source attractiveness and dynamism, (o’keefe
2002). It is assumed that the credibility of a message is a receiver-based
judgment which involves both objective judgments of the information quality or
accuracy as well as subjective perceptions of the source trustworthiness,
expertise, and attractiveness. Recent concerns about credibility of news or
content found on social media stem from the fact that internet and digitization
technologies both lower the cost and have increased access to information
production and dissemination. The result is that more information from more
sources is available and easily
accessible currently than ever before due to the rise in the use of social
media like twitter, Facebook, blogs, Whatsapp, yookos, Wechat,Instagram,Badoo.e.t.c.
In the past, substantial costs of information production and dissemination on a
mass scale limited the number of sources to only those with enough power and
capital to justify and sell an information product. In the digital environment,
however, nearly anyone can be an writer, as authority is no longer a
requirement for content provision on the internet or social media. This
obviously raises issues of credibility, a problem that is exacerbated by the
fact that many web sites operate without much supervision or editorial review.
Unlike most traditional (i.e., print) publishing, information posted on the Web
may not be subject to filtering through professional gatekeepers, and it often
lacks traditional authority indicators such as author identity or established
reputation there are no body or organization saddled with the responsibility of
regulating their activities. Additionally, there are no universal standards for
posting information online, and digital information may be easily altered,
copied, misrepresented, or created anonymously under false pretenses.
The social media in Nigeria has become a
steady source of news for Nigerians but the question of credibility of the
contents from this various social media is the major bane of this study. Since
the freedom the social media provides is being used as a tool most times against
the government, and the rate at which content on social media spread is alarming,
an example of how information spreads on social media is the
#bringbackourgirls, using salt and water to cure Ebola the response generated
by this trending topics was massive all thanks to the social media.
The credibility of news on social media is
like a “border line” that mediates an organization and its strategic publics
(Cutlip, Center, & Broom, 2000), the public relations function essentially
deals with the credibility of the organization and the communicated messages.
Therefore, to manage organization-public communication strategically,
credibility management is the key. In communication research, the credibility
of the communicator has been widely suggested to influence the processing of
the communicated content and the change of audience attitudes and beliefs
(Burgoon& Hale, 1984; Hovland, Janis, & Kelley, 1953). The credibility
of the channel/medium of communication affects the selective participation of
the audience with the medium. Accordingly, individual audiences are paying
closer attention to the media that they perceive to be credible. When
individual audiences rely more on a certain communication medium for
information seeking, they are likely to rate the medium more credible than
other media.
Fast-developing technology, especially in
the digital media environment, has empowered individuals and other stakeholder
organizations to be creators of communication messages rather than remaining as
the stagnant receiver of communication content (McClure, 2007). As a result,
unlike the old days when organizations were often the only senders of messages,
the communication process has increasingly become multidirectional, amplifying
horizontal influences among individual public members themselves. Additionally,
as the influence of emergent social media continues to increase, individual
members of publics are starting to demand participatory communication with and
from organizations. In either case, gaining credibility from publics is
essential. Instead of being passive recipients of messages, publics are now
active enough to select communication channels, especially when they care about
an issue (Rubin, 2002). Unlike traditional media such as radio or television, the
use of social media by individuals is increasingly becoming “instrumental”
(Rubin, 1984), depending on their motivation for communication that is why you
want to communicate (functionality), purposive or intended nature of
communicating that is the channel you
intend using to communicate (intentionality), communication choice
(selectivity), and involvement with media . Given such audience selective and
active media use, communication without the creation and cultivation of
credibility for better public engagement or brand-building can be hardly
effective (Holtz & Havens, 2009).
1.2 Statement of the problem
Since
the establishment of Abuja, traditional source of news only present current
events and stories approved by the government (Hong, 2011). Now, independent
online media such as social media websites and blogs allow anyone to publish
stories on everything from on-the-spot news coverage and research to opinion
and rumor. The effects of this increasing diversity of news sources are not
fully known; but how credible and believable are this user generated contents?
How trustworthy are the source of this news being posted? However, it is likely that not all segments of
the population have been influenced equally due to the digital nature of the
newer sources. Judging the credibility of the source and of the content on
social media is a major issue among users of social media, with this
credibility problem associated with social media news, it is necessary to
determine the extent to which social media users believe the news content they
carry from these social networks.
With the increase dependence of individuals
on social media for news and the proliferation of social media sites by media houses e.g. CNN, Sahara reporters
e.t.c. Can the reliability or credibility of this news on social media sites be
ascertained if yes to what extent?
This
study is embarked on to ascertain the views of residents of residents of Abuja
on the credibility and reliability of news on social media and also discover
the criteria they use to evaluate the credibility of various contents on social
media.
1.3 Aim and objective of the study
·
To find out if
residents of Abuja considers news on social media to be credible
·
To find out how
residents of Abuja use the various social media.
·
To determine how
residents of Abuja judge news credibility
1.4
Research Questions
·
. How do residents of
Abuja perceive the credibility of current events information on social media?
·
What is the
self-reported media use of residents of Abuja?
·
What are the criteria
used by Abuja residents to judge the credibility of news on social media?
1.5 Justification of the study
This
research will demonstrate to Abuja residents how to determine the level of
authenticity in the communicated messages on social media. It will also help
new media researchers to formulate policies that will regulate activities of
citizen who post news or act as journalist on social media and encourage the
government to provide some intensity of gatekeeping at the channel level.
Most importantly the study will add to good
knowledge on how residents of Abuja determine credible news on social media.
1.6 Delimitation
of the study
The
coverage of the study will be limited to selected local government in Abuja
metropolis which will represent the generality of the residents of Abuja and
also two major social media will be considered in this study, namely twitter
and blogger.
1.7 Operational definitions of terms
Blog:
A weblog is a type of website usually maintained by an individual; it serves as
an online journal or dairy, which is constantly updated with events.
Credibility: The quality of being believable or worthy of
trust
Hashtags:
This is using the symbol # to mark keywords or topic in a tweet.
Internet: a
worldwide means of exchanging information and communication through series of
interconnected computers. The word internet is a contraction international
network.
Online journalism: This simply means stories that are written
specifically for the web instead of newspapers, radio, television, or magazine
Perception:
Perception is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory
information in order to represent and understand the environment
Traditional media:
Traditional means of communication and expression that have existed since
before the advent of the new medium of the Internet.
Twitter:
Twitter is a free social micro blogging service that allows registered members
to broadcast short updates.
Social media:
Social media is a group of Internet-based applications that build on the
ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the
creation and exchange of user-generated content.