Credibility Through Social Media

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Credibility is a determination made by the user taking into account many factors, including credibility, precision, reasonableness, profundity, dependability, deviation, fulfilment, reliability (Gaziano & McGrath, 1986; Choi, Watt, & Lynch, 2006) as well as user-friendly and attractiveness of an online platform (Metzger, 2007). Social media is a set of Internet-based programs that work with respect to the thinking and innovative establishments of Web 2.0, these enable the users to generate content in a great way of creation and trade (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). Social media has become a rising trends in the world today. Through social media, anyone with internet access can interact with millions of people from different places. …show more content…

Anyone who access to the Internet can post a wide range of data without having to experience the essential procedure of confirming the information. Most of the news and data on the online networking were originated from various sources while the mainstream news endure a variety of analysis and editorial gatekeeping to ensure the validity of messages delivered. However, Wilson et al. (2011) said that the news’ consumers unable to distinguish the reality from fiction, and may believe whatever they have read through online. In spite of media’s accessibility and utilization as sources of information, it has changed numerous things around us and changed our perspectives toward the news that we were not aware of in the past and made us think beyond of …show more content…

In real life situation, your friend told you that there will be high possibility to have heavy rain with thunderstorm for the next two days, will you choose to believe him or not if the past two days were having sunny day? Is there any reliable evidence or source? The answer is “no”. The reason is, he is not a weather forecaster, which need to have scientific understanding and knowledge to predict the weather. In another case, Facebook has spread a fake ‘apai nyamun’ posting, which claims that some residents of longhouses in Sarawak had been kidnapped in two separate incidents for their heads and organs which would be sold later (Refer to appendix image 1). However, Bintulu police chief, Supritendan Zailanni Amit has disclaimed everything that was posted on social media as there were no official police report about these cases. Hence, majority will choose to believe what the police chief had said because he has the power to influence people’s

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