Credibility and Crisis in Pseudonymous Communities

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Author(s): Sarah Lefkowith (University of Oxford, UK)
Copyright: 2017
Pages: 47
Source title: Establishing and Evaluating Digital Ethos and Online Credibility
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Moe Folk (Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, USA)and Shawn Apostel (Bellarmine University, USA)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-1072-7.ch010

Keywords: Computer-Mediated Communication / Digital Communications / Information Science Reference / Media & Communications

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Abstract

Information credibility is difficult to ascertain online, especially when identity is obscured. Yet increasingly, individuals ascertain credibility of emerging information in such contexts, including in the midst of crises. The authors, using data from reddit, examine the influence of potentially credibility cues in a pseudonymous context, investigating not both general effects and whether cues affecting credibility perceptions maintain their effects during crises. Findings include a positive relationship between commenter reputation and perceived credibility in non-crises; a positive relationship between perceived credibility and the use of persuasive appeals relating to one's character or experiences during crisis; and a positive relationship between perceived credibility and the use of a link during crisis. The authors explore how reddit's structure impacts credibility perception, describe how persuasion is operationalized, and elaborate a typology of highly credible comments. Through this study, the authors contribute to both credibility research and crisis informatics.

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Credibility and Crisis in Pseudonymous Communities

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