Why do we use different types of websites and assign them different levels of credibility? Structural relations among users' motives, types of websites, information credibility, and trust in the press

The phenomenal growth in the use of the Internet as an information source has raised questions among scholars about why and how individuals use this resource. Based on uses and gratifications theory, the current study explored structural relations among individuals' specific motivations for using the Internet, their specific use of the web, credibility perceptions of online information and trust in the press using structural equation modeling method (N?=?996). Consistent with our predictions, the distinct motivations (i.e., information seeking, social utility, and entertainment) were associated with the use of web portals, news websites, and social networking sites, respectively. Our findings also indicated that the use of news websites particularly influences users' perceptions of the credibility of online information as well as trust in the press. Furthermore, a significant association between credibility perceptions of online information and trust in the press was revealed. The implications of these findings are discussed. Three motives led to individuals' online-media use, but the effects were varied.New websites use enhanced outcome variables, whereas SNS use lessened trust in the press.News websites use mediated the relation between motives and outcome variables.

[1]  A. Greene,et al.  Researching trust and health , 2008 .

[2]  Zsanna Nyírő.  Lyon, Fergus - Guido Möllering - Mark N.K. Saunders (Eds.) (2012), Handbook of research methods on trust. Cheltenham, United Kingdom, Edward Elgar , 2014 .

[3]  S. Shyam Sundar,et al.  What drives customization?: control or identity? , 2011, CHI.

[4]  Wu Xiao-ling,et al.  On Listening to the Radio , 2000 .

[5]  P. Norris.  Tuned Out Voters? Media Impact on Campaign Learning , 2002 .

[6]  Miriam J. Metzger.  Making sense of credibility on the Web: Models for evaluating online information and recommendations for future research , 2007, J. Assoc. Inf. Sci. Technol..

[7]  A. Rubin.  USES-AND-GRATIFICATIONS PERSPECTIVE ON MEDIA EFFECTS , 2009 .

[8]  N. Lin.  Social Capital: A Theory of Social Structure and Action , 2001 .

[9]  Pamela Paxton.  Social Capital and Democracy: An Interdependent Relationship , 2002, American Sociological Review.

[10]  B. J. Fogg,et al.  What makes Web sites credible?: a report on a large quantitative study , 2001, CHI.

[11]  Thomas J. Johnson,et al.  A Web for all reasons: uses and gratifications of Internet components for political information , 2004, Telematics Informatics.

[12]  Hosung Park,et al.  What is Twitter, a social network or a news media? , 2010, WWW '10.

[13]  Yariv Tsfati,et al.  Mainstream Media Skepticism and Exposure to Sectorial and Extranational News Media: The Case of Israel , 2006 .

[14]  P. Norris.  Tuned Out Voters , 2002 .

[15]  Christian Köhler,et al.  What is the prevalence of health-related searches on the World Wide Web? Qualitative and quantitative analysis of search engine queries on the Internet , 2003, AMIA.

[16]  Joseph N. Cappella,et al.  Do People Watch what they Do Not Trust? , 2003, Commun. Res..

[17]  Nicholas J. Belkin,et al.  Understanding Judgment of Information Quality and Cognitive Authority in the WWW , 1998 .

[18]  Alan M. Rubin,et al.  Psychological Predictors of Television Viewing Motivation , 1991 .

[19]  Miriam J. Metzger,et al.  Perceptions of Internet Information Credibility , 2000 .

[20]  Cliff Lampe,et al.  The Benefits of Facebook "Friends: " Social Capital and College Students' Use of Online Social Network Sites , 2007, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[21]  Traci Hong,et al.  The influence of structural and message features on Web site credibility , 2006 .

[22]  William R. Elliott,et al.  The 1985 Philadelphia Newspaper Strike: A Uses and Gratifications Study , 1987 .

[23]  Anabel Quan-Haase,et al.  Uses and Gratifications of Social Media: A Comparison of Facebook and Instant Messaging , 2010 .

[24]  A. Rubin,et al.  Predictors of Internet Use , 2000 .

[25]  Philip Palmgreen,et al.  Uses and Gratifications: A Theoretical Perspective , 1984 .

[26]  Miriam J. Metzger,et al.  College student Web use, perceptions of information credibility, and verification behavior , 2003, Comput. Educ..

[27]  Kerk F. Kee,et al.  Is There Social Capital in a Social Network Site?: Facebook Use and College Students’ Life Satisfaction, Trust, and Participation 1 , 2009 .

[28]  Ian Oakley,et al.  Understanding motivations for facebook use: usage metrics, network structure, and privacy , 2013, CHI.

[29]  Dhavan V. Shah,et al.  "Connecting" and "Disconnecting" With Civic Life: Patterns of Internet Use and the Production of Social Capital , 2001 .

[30]  J. H. Davis,et al.  An Integrative Model Of Organizational Trust , 1995 .

[31]  N. Jackob.  No Alternatives? The Relationship Between Perceived Media Dependency, Use of Alternative Information Sources, and General Trust in Mass Media , 2010 .

[32]  Thomas F. Stafford,et al.  Determining Uses and Gratifications for the Internet , 2004, Decis. Sci..

[33]  Diane M. Strong,et al.  AIMQ: a methodology for information quality assessment , 2002, Inf. Manag..

[34]  C. Lin.  Online-Service Adoption Likelihood , 1999 .

[35]  J. Knote.  Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community , 2004 .

[36]  Doyle Yoon,et al.  Building Relationships with Portal Users , 2002 .

[37]  Traci Hong,et al.  The influence of structural and message features on Web site credibility , 2006, J. Assoc. Inf. Sci. Technol..

[38]  Seoyeon Lee,et al.  Does Online News Reading and Sharing Shape Perceptions of the Internet as a Place for Public Deliberations? , 2013 .

[39]  Werner J. Severin,et al.  Communication Theories: Origins, Methods and Uses in the Mass Media , 1991 .

[40]  D. Weaver,et al.  Voter Learning and Interest in the 2000 Presidential Election: Did the Media Matter? , 2001 .

[41]  A. Rubin.  The uses-and-gratifications perspective of media effects. , 2002 .

[42]  Ellen Quintelier,et al.  Social Science Computer Review Volume Xx Number X Month Xxxx Xx-xx the Effect of Internet Use on Political Participation an Analysis of Survey Results for 16-year-olds in Belgium , 2022 .

[43]  S. Shyam Sundar,et al.  The Psychological Appeal of Personalized Content in Web Portals: Does Customization Affect Attitudes and Behavior? , 2006 .

[44]  Thomas J. Johnson,et al.  Online and in the Know: Uses and Gratifications of the Web for Political Information , 2002 .

[45]  S. Sundar,et al.  Personalization versus Customization: The Importance of Agency, Privacy, and Power Usage , 2010 .

[46]  S. Sundar,et al.  Multimedia Effects on Processing and Perception of Online News: A Study of Picture, Audio, and Video Downloads , 2000 .

[47]  Thomas J. Johnson,et al.  Cruising is Believing?: Comparing Internet and Traditional Sources on Media Credibility Measures , 1998 .

[48]  Brian S. Krueger.  Assessing the Potential of Internet Political Participation in the United States , 2002 .

[49]  Michael Stefanone,et al.  Exploring Online News Credibility: The Relative Influence of Traditional and Technological Factors , 2012, J. Comput. Mediat. Commun..

[50]  Rebecca B. Rubin,et al.  OLDER PERSONS' TV VIEWING PATTERNS AND MOTIVATIONS , 1982 .

[51]  Steve Jones.  The Internet Goes to College: How Students Are Living in the Future with Today's Technology. , 2002 .

[52]  Nicholas C. Burbules,et al.  Paradoxes of the Web: The Ethical Dimensions of Credibility , 2001, Libr. Trends.

[53]  K. You,et al.  Exploring the Relationship Between Online Comments Usage and Civic Engagement in South Korea , 2014 .

[54]  Seoyeon Lee,et al.  Why read online news? the structural relationships among motivations, behaviors, and consumption in South Korea , 2013 .

[55]  Dietram A. Scheufele,et al.  Community, Communication, and Participation: The Role of Mass Media and Interpersonal Discussion in Local Political Participation , 1999 .

[56]  A. Rubin.  Television uses and gratifications: The interactions of viewing patterns and motivations , 1983 .

[57]  A. Babrow,et al.  Student Motives for Watching Soap Operas. , 1987 .

[58]  P. Bentler,et al.  Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis : Conventional criteria versus new alternatives , 1999 .

[59]  C. I. Hovland,et al.  The Influence of Source Credibility on Communication Effectiveness , 1951 .

[60]  D. Sunshine Hillygus,et al.  The impact of internet use of sociability: time-diary findings , 2002 .

[61]  Kerk F. Kee,et al.  Being Immersed in Social Networking Environment: Facebook Groups, Uses and Gratifications, and Social Outcomes , 2009, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[62]  H. Kelley,et al.  Communication And Persuasion , 1953 .

[63]  Soo Youn Oh,et al.  Seek and You Shall Find? How Need for Orientation Moderates Knowledge Gain from Twitter Use , 2013 .

[64]  Philip Palmgreen,et al.  Uses and Gratifications and Exposure To Public Television , 1979 .

[65]  J. Coleman.  Foundations of Social Theory , 1990 .

[66]  Douglas A. Ferguson,et al.  The World Wide Web as a Functional Alternative to Television , 2000 .

[67]  R. Polat.  The Internet and Political Participation , 2005 .

[68]  Trust and social capital: challenges for studying their dynamic relationship , 2012 .

[69]  Thomas E. Ruggiero.  Uses and Gratifications Theory in the 21st Century , 2000 .

[70]  Guido Möllering,et al.  Handbook of Research Methods on Trust , 2012 .

[71]  J. H. Davis,et al.  An integrative model of organizational trust, Academy of Management Review, : . , 1995 .