Paper Type
Short
Paper Number
1807
Description
Social media induced polarisation (SMIP) involves the emergence of ideological echo chambers, leading to diverse adverse implications. Extant literature on the causes of SMIP exhibits inconsistencies regarding the role of information exposure, suggesting the presence of underlying latent factors. We contend that not just information exposure, but the user’s perception of the credibility of the exposed information can be salient in the context of SMIP. Drawing from credibility and social validation literature, we argue that: (1) Perceived credibility of the information can determine the user’s content appraisal, opinion formation, and further, polarisation ; and (2) Heuristics backed by social validation can substantially influence one’s evaluation of message credibility, particularly in cognitive effort-heavy contexts such as polarising social media posts. By demonstrating these latent mechanisms, we aim to empower social media users, platform developers and regulatory bodies with insights to curb the spread of polarisation at the very root level.
Recommended Citation
Jain, Rishika; M P, Sebastian; and Pandey, Vidushi, "Examining the Contextual Impact of Perceived Message Credibility on Information Exposure and Social Media Induced Polarisation" (2024). PACIS 2024 Proceedings. 2.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/pacis2024/track17_socmedia/track17_socmedia/2
Examining the Contextual Impact of Perceived Message Credibility on Information Exposure and Social Media Induced Polarisation
Social media induced polarisation (SMIP) involves the emergence of ideological echo chambers, leading to diverse adverse implications. Extant literature on the causes of SMIP exhibits inconsistencies regarding the role of information exposure, suggesting the presence of underlying latent factors. We contend that not just information exposure, but the user’s perception of the credibility of the exposed information can be salient in the context of SMIP. Drawing from credibility and social validation literature, we argue that: (1) Perceived credibility of the information can determine the user’s content appraisal, opinion formation, and further, polarisation ; and (2) Heuristics backed by social validation can substantially influence one’s evaluation of message credibility, particularly in cognitive effort-heavy contexts such as polarising social media posts. By demonstrating these latent mechanisms, we aim to empower social media users, platform developers and regulatory bodies with insights to curb the spread of polarisation at the very root level.
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