A New Credibility: Identification, Interactivity

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A New Credibility Identification, Interactivity
Transparency

• Brian Carroll Randy Richardson
• Berry College

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Standing on shoulders

• Hovland, McCroskey
• Johnson Kaye
• Flanagin Metzger
• Meyer
• Burke
• Brock, Brommet, Crable, Cohen

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Traditional dimensions of credibility

• Expertise
• Accuracy
• Fairness
• Absence of bias

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New paradigm for credibility

• Identification (Burke)
• Interactivity
• Transparency
• Re-voicing of journalism (The humanity
  of it all!)

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Research Questions

• RQ1 Why do readers loyally read their blogs of
  choice? What does this say about the values or
  qualities of A-list blogs and their authors that
  make them credible to their readers?
• RQ2 Why do blog readers trust the blogs they
  read?

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Pharyngula http//www.scienceblogs.com/pharyngula
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Informed Commenthttp//www.juancole.com
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Online Survey

• Self-selected
• Anonymous
• Number of respondents
• Pharyngula 70
• Informed Comment 222

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Why do you read Informed Comment?

• Expertise gtgt 107 of 222 respondents (48)
• NOT mainstream media gtgt propaganda, drivel,
  political spin, distorted reporting
• Absence of bias gtgt 18 mentions
• Accuracy gtgt 15 mentions
• Fairness gtgt 11 mentions

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Why do you trust Informed Comment?

• Expertise gtgt 91 of 222 responses (41)
• Credentials gtgt 39 mentions
• Fairness gtgt 37 mentions
• Absence of bias gtgt 17 mentions
• Accuracy gtgt 18 mentions

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Why do you read Pharyngula?

• 11 of 70 cited expertise
• Zeroes for absence of bias, accuracy, fairness

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Why do you trust Pharyngula?

• 26/70 citing expertise
• Zeroes for other traditional credibility
  dimensions
• He cites his sources (transparency)

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Emergent dimensions of credibility online

• Identification His politics agree with mine.
  His judgment echoes my own.
• 27 overt mentions of ID for Q1, 18 for Q2 (Cole)
• 13 overt Q1, 11 Q2 (Myers)
• common enemy ID (10 cites of Bush in Cole
  bastards, bastards 20 of 70 for Pharyngula --
  29)

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Emergent dimensions of credibility online --
Identification

• Humanity and Authenticity gtgt 12 mentions (Cole)
  re-voicing
• Humor gtgt 17/70 Pharyngula (24)
• Interactivity A conversation, not a lecture.
  Emails returned. Dining out.

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Emergent dimensions of credibility online --
Identification

• Transparency I was wrong. I dont know.
  Ive changed my mind. Here are my sources.
  (This all relates to accountability and
  objectivity.)
• Humanity He cares about the Middle East and has
  real sympathy for the people living there.
• Navigability and site design

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Aristotelian ethos

• Back to the future
• Good sense (competence, intelligence, expertise)
• Good moral character (honesty, trustworthiness,
  fairness)
• Goodwill (compassion, humanity)

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Limitations and Future Research

• Inter-coder reliability ( Scotts Pi)
• Systematic factor analytic approach using
  emergent criteria across media
• Longitudinal research
• Locus of the transaction

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Schemas for media-specific ethos Schemas for media-specific ethos
Legacy Media New(er) Media
Traditional Smart Imperative to inform Infor. as a means to democracy Market economy Knowledge capital Professional (editors) Top-down, centralized Filtered, edited content Fact-checked Polished, cool, conclusive Audience as receptors Mass media messages Non-interactive Audience as electorate High barriers to entry (elitist) Linear Positivist Emergent Simple Imperative to empower Democracy as a means to knowledge Gift economy Social capital Amateur (readers are editors) Edges-in, de-centralized Unfiltered, unedited content Transparent In-process, engaged, non-conclusive Audience as participants Microcontent Interactive, hyperlinked, hypermediated Audience as activists Low barriers to entry (egalitarian) Networked Post-modern