Identity on Social Networks as a Cue: Identity,Retweets, and Credibility |
| |
| Authors: | Xialing Lin Patric R Spence |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Xialing Lin (Ph.D., University of Kentucky) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Corporate Communication at Penn State University, Scranton Campus.;2. Patric R. Spence (Ph.D., Wayne State University) is an Associate Professor in the Nicholson School of Communication and Media at the University of Central Florida. |
| |
| Abstract: | The current study investigates how social media affordances influence individuals’ source credibility perceptions in the presence of risk information, specifically examining how bandwagon heuristics interact with different identity heuristics at the individual level. The MAIN model and warranting theory serve as the theoretical framework to examine the effects of bandwagon cues and identity cues embedded in retweets and users’ profile pages for health and risk online information processing. A posttest-only experiment with a self-report questionnaire was administered to participants. Results indicate that different online heuristic cues impact the judgments of competence, goodwill, and trustworthiness. Authority cues strongly influenced source credibility perceptions. A reverse-bandwagon effect was observed in influencing source credibility judgments. |
| |
| Keywords: | Warranting Theory Source Credibility Risk Communication Social Media Agency Cues |
|
|
