Public Engagement with, and Trust in, Online News Media in French-Speaking Belgium

This paper analyzes the French-speaking Belgian public’s reception of, and trust in, online news media. Based on a qualitative research carried out in 2009-2010, it will be showed that online newsreaders hold divided conceptions of media credibility and trust, some of which fall out of the theoretical/methodological canon of current media credibility research.  Furthermore, respondents appeared to draw upon four heuristics to decide whether or not they place their trust in online news: the transparency heuristic, the accountability heuristic, the reputation heuristic, and the recommendation heuristic. The relevance of these heuristics to trust is clear insofar as they affect both newsreaders’ attributions of trustworthiness to online journalists and news media, and their willingness to engage in trusting relationships with them. At the end of the paper, some conclusions and implications for future research on trust in online news are discussed.This paper analyzes the French-speaking Belgian public’s reception of, and trust in, online news media. Based on a qualitative research carried out in 2009-2010, it will be showed that online newsreaders hold divided conceptions of media credibility and trust, some of which fall out of the theoretical/methodological canon of current media credibility research.  Furthermore, respondents appeared to draw upon four heuristics to decide whether or not they place their trust in online news: the transparency heuristic, the accountability heuristic, the reputation heuristic, and the recommendation heuristic. The relevance of these heuristics to trust is clear insofar as they affect both newsreaders’ attributions of trustworthiness to online journalists and news media, and their willingness to engage in trusting relationships with them. At the end of the paper, some conclusions and implications for future research on trust in online news are discussed

E-Tourism: Malaysian travellers intention in online accommodation booking

A great number of tourists has embraced online travel booking. This paper examines the influence of four factors, namely credibility, trustworthiness, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use on booking intention and explores whether the attitude mediates the relationship between trustworthiness and booking intention. A total of 191 completed and usable questionnaires from holidaymakers in Malaysia were collected. The results showed that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use have a significant positive relationship with the booking intention. The result also highlighted that attitude partially mediates the relationship between trustworthiness and booking intention. The paper concludes with a discussion on managerial implications and suggestions to address this issue.    Keywords: holiday accommodations, holidaymakers, online booking, online information search.    eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.   DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5iSI1.232

Social Media Use, Media Credibility and Online Engagement Among Young Adults in China

Drawing on data collected online in China, this dissertation consists of four studies that deal – from different angles – with relationships between media use and repertoires, traditional and social media credibility, and online engagement in politics, culture, and health among young adults. In a nutshell, I investigated how much young adults trust the various media outlets at their disposal and how this affects behaviors and forms of engagement vis-à-vis topical issues in the fields of politics, culture and health in the country’s contemporary media environ

From the polis to Facebook : social media and the development of a new Greek public sphere

The objective of this research project is to critically examine how social and new media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and online radio have influenced the potential development or rejuvenation of public sphere, civil society, and public discourse in Greece during the years of the country’s economic, political, and social crisis. The project attempts to answer how social and new media have impacted the public sphere and civil society, how social and new media have contributed to the formation of new political and social movements, how social and new media have contributed to the formation of alternative online news sources, and whether social and new media are considered to be more credible sources of news and information compared to mainstream media institutions. Greece was selected as the site for this research project in response to the prevailing view found in the body of academic literature that Greece’s public sphere and civil society have historically been underdeveloped when compared to the countries of Western Europe and the United States. In addition, the political and economic upheaval which accompanied the Greek economic crisis and the country’s location at the intersection of Western and Eastern Europe and the Middle East, presented intriguing possibilities for research and for examining the role that new technologies can play in the redevelopment of the public sphere and civil society during a time of crisis. Interviews were conducted with over 120 individuals, including elected officials and political personnel, journalists, media professionals, bloggers, academics, opinion leaders, activists, and representatives of organizations active within civil society. Five illustrative examples of organizations with a prominent social media presence, including a non-governmental organization, a political party, a mainstream media corporation, an online news portal, and an alternative online radio station were examined. Electronic survey research was also performed across three sample populations, including Greece’s representatives in the European Parliament, editors of major Greek newspapers, and representatives from organizations operating in the civil society sector. This dissertation is based on longitudinal, multi-year research performed in Greece between September 2012 and August 2017.Radio-Television-Fil

Behavioural models for identifying authenticity in the Twitter feeds of UK Members of Parliament: a content analysis of UK MPs’ tweets between 2011 and 2012; a longitudinal study

That the public distrusts politicians is prevalent in both polling and academic literature (Uberoi & Apostolova, 2017; van der Meer, 2017; YouGov, 2017a, 2017b). Whether it's true that politicians cannot actually be trusted is really immaterial. If McCombs (2004) and Lippman (1922) are correct, and the media has an enormous impact on public opinion simply by establishing this dire narrative, then the perception of mistrust has become fact. Citizens are disengaged, misinformed, and weary. Politicians issue statements to meet political expediencies. Trust is a critical component of democracy, and only by behaving in a substantively new manner can politicians restore it. The irony is that this image cannot be artificially constructed; they must behave naturally and re-introduce themselves to a public sceptical of media training and spin. To restore trust they must present themselves as they truly are. They must behave authentically. This thesis examines the tweets made by UK MPs during 2011 and 2012 (n=774,467) for evidence of authenticity and establishes behavioural models that identify authentic talk in large Twitter datasets. The analytical .framework that defines authenticity and informs the content analysis is broadly based on the prior work examining authentic behaviour in reality TV conducted by Coleman (2006) that reveals performative characteristics that audiences are drawn to; Hall's (2009) examination of the good and bad effects of mediated communication on reality TV audiences; Liebes's (2001) examination of sincerity and humility in the performance of authenticity by politicians; Montgomery's (2001b) work examining the presence of authenticity in the press behaviour of UK MPs and his examination of Goffman's relevance to mediated communication (Montgomery, 2001a). This study also challenges Goffman's Dramaturgical theory which positions public communication either on stage or backstage by suggesting that the backstage is now performed onstage (Goffman, 1959, 1981). Additionally, this content analysis is informed by Henneberg and Scammell's examination of how competing perceptions of democratic theory can be used to evaluate a politician's political marketing techniques (Henneberg, Scammell, & O'Shaughnessy, 2009) and positions the behavioural models within these techniques. It is also important to note that the 774,467 tweets subjected to a quantitative and qualitative content analysis, as far as can be established, is the only large-scale longitudinal study of parliamentary Twitter behaviour. This study's contribution to knowledge is: 1. to examine of all the tweets produced by UK MPs between 2011-2012 (n=774,467) for evidence of authentic talk; 2. to memorialize their Twitter usage; 3. to establish behavioural models for identifying the presence of authenticity in the Twitter behaviour of politicians; 4. to organize these MPs into these new behavioural models; 5. to develop a mixed method research design for locating this behaviour in large sets of Twitter metadata. Works Cited Coleman, S. (2006). How the other half votes: Big Brother viewers and the 2005 general election. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 9(4), 457-479. doi: 10.1177 /1367877906069895 Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Garden City, NY: Doubleday. Goffman, E. {1981). Forms of talk: University of Pennsylvania Press. Hall, A. (2009). Perceptions of the Authenticity of Reality Programs and Their Relationships to Audience Involvement, Enjoyment, and Perceived Learning. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 53(4), 515 - 531. Henneberg, S. C., Scammell, M., & O'Shaughnessy, N. J. {2009). Political marketing management and theories of democracy. Marketing Theory, 9(2), 165-188. doi:10.1177 /1470593109103060 Liebes, T. (2001). "Look me straight in the eye," the political discourse of authenticity, spontaneity, and sincerity. The Communication Review, 4(4), 499 - 510. Lippman, W. (1922). Public Opinion. New York: Free Press. Mccombs, M. E. (2004). Setting the agenda: the mass media and public opinion. Montgomery, M. (2001a). Defining 'authentic talk'. Discourse Studies, 3(4), 397-405. Montgomery, M. {2001b). The uses of authenticity: "Speaking from experience" in a U.K. election broadcast. The Communication Review, 4(4), 447 - 462. Uberoi, E., & Apostolova, V. {2017). House of Commons Key Issues 2017: Political dis)engagement. London: House of Commons Retrieved from https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/key-issues/political-disengagement/. van der Meer, T. W. G. (2017). Political Trust and the "Crisis of Democracy". In Oxford Research Encyclopedia - Politics: Oxford University Press. YouGov. (2017a). The problem of trust. Retrieved from https://yougov.co.uk/news/2012/11/13/problem-trust/ YouGov. (2017b). YouGov Trust Tracker. Retrieved from yougov.co.uk: https://yougov.co.uk/news/2012/11/13/problem-trust

Perceptions of Selves: Beyond the Skin Bag - Analyzing self-representation and ethos in creative digital artefacts

As technological innovations reach new heights, questions regarding how we act, see, and live with machines reveal themselves. What was once viewed as mere tools have become something we perceive as part of our social world. Technological actants now hold the power of persuasion, the power to be perceived as a self. This constitutes new perspectives regarding how we relate to those with self-representational qualities. Relations between actants in social settings boil down to discourse, where this study manifests itself. The point of entry is, paradoxically, taking root in ancient theories of rhetoric. Because self-representation in digital artefacts must necessarily be produced, it becomes a text with the potential for analysis. In its broadest possible meaning, text is a modal manifestation of existence, a textual manifestation of self. The representations are always mediated, and that mediation opens up questions about authenticity, agency, and ethos. The artefacts I propose in this thesis exist in a way that changes shape in the perception of those who perceive it. When artefacts are imbued with some form of life, uniqueness, personality and ethos, approaches and attentions must change. That is dependent on the relations we allow and instil in them. We now have different relations than before, which means that the concept of ethos must be seen anew. This thesis is a philosophical and rhetorical exploration of how ethos and self-representation can be renewed to encompass more ways of being. Through perspectives inspired by Posthumanism and Actor-Network Theory, I explore themes relating to self-representation and ethos to conceptualize an updated framework that, in essence, “de-anthropocentrize” our field of view. This thesis does not aim to be either final or limiting, but a starting point in opening a conversation about the rhetorical impact we encounter every day through humans and otherwise.Mastergradsoppgave i digital kulturDIKULT350MAHF-DIKU

The influence of social media on the intention to vote for student political organisations in the Eastern Cape

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of social media on the intention to vote for students political organizations in the Eastern Cape. The main objectives included measuring the influence of predictor variables such as medium credibility, message credibility, tie strength with peers, identification with the peers, peer communication, user trust, information credibilit on the intention to vote. To measure these hypothesised relationships a conceptual model was developed for the study. Data collection was conducted in the Eastern Cape in which 381 participants were surveyed. To analyse the data the two stage structural equation modeling approach was adopted in which confimatory factor analysis and hypothesis testing was adopted. This was conducted ulitising Structural equation modelling. The main findings of the study were that all the proposed hypotheses were supported with the exception of that of peer commnication and tie strength with peers on the intention to vote. It was also important to note that identification with peers had the strongest impact on the intention to vote while the message credibility had the weakest. The implication was that users feel that the ability to identify with each other influenced their voting intentions however the message itself was irrelevant

Music and Digital Media: A planetary anthropology

Anthropology has neglected the study of music. Music and Digital Media shows how and why this should be redressed. It does so by enabling music to expand the horizons of digital anthropology, demonstrating how the field can build interdisciplinary links to music and sound studies, digital/media studies, and science and technology studies. Music and Digital Media is the first comparative ethnographic study of the impact of digital media on music worldwide. It offers a radical and lucid new theoretical framework for understanding digital media through music, showing that music is today where the promises and problems of the digital assume clamouring audibility. The book contains ten chapters, eight of which present comprehensive original ethnographies; they are bookended by an authoritative introduction and a comparative postlude. Five chapters address popular, folk, art and crossover musics in the global South and North, including Kenya, Argentina, India, Canada and the UK. Three chapters bring the digital experimentally to the fore, presenting pioneering ethnographies of an extra-legal peer-to-peer site and the streaming platform Spotify, a series of prominent internet-mediated music genres, and the first ethnography of a global software package, the interactive music platform Max. The book is unique in bringing ethnographic research on popular, folk, art and crossover musics from the global North and South into a comparative framework on a large scale, and creates an innovative new paradigm for comparative anthropology. It shows how music enlarges anthropology while demanding to be understood with reference to classic themes of anthropological theory

Music and Digital Media

Anthropology has neglected the study of music. Music and Digital Media shows how and why this should be redressed. It does so by enabling music to expand the horizons of digital anthropology, demonstrating how the field can build interdisciplinary links to music and sound studies, digital/media studies, and science and technology studies. Music and Digital Media is the first comparative ethnographic study of the impact of digital media on music worldwide. It offers a radical and lucid new theoretical framework for understanding digital media through music, showing that music is today where the promises and problems of the digital assume clamouring audibility. The book contains ten chapters, eight of which present comprehensive original ethnographies; they are bookended by an authoritative introduction and a comparative postlude. Five chapters address popular, folk, art and crossover musics in the global South and North, including Kenya, Argentina, India, Canada and the UK. Three chapters bring the digital experimentally to the fore, presenting pioneering ethnographies of anextra-legal peer-to-peer site and the streaming platform Spotify, a series of prominent internet-mediated music genres, and the first ethnography of a global software package, the interactive music platform Max. The book is unique in bringing ethnographic research on popular, folk, art and crossover musics from the global North and South into a comparative framework on a large scale, and creates an innovative new paradigm for comparative anthropology. It shows how music enlarges anthropology while demanding to be understood with reference to classic themes of anthropological theory. Praise for Music and Digital Media ‘Music and Digital Media is a groundbreaking update to our understandings of sound, media, digitization, and music. Truly transdisciplinary and transnational in scope, it innovates methodologically through new models for collaboration, multi-sited ethnography, and comparative work. It also offers an important defense of—and advancement of—theories of mediation.’ Jonathan Sterne, Communication Studies and Art History, McGill University 'Music and Digital Media is a nuanced exploration of the burgeoning digital music scene across both the global North and the global South. Ethnographically rich and theoretically sophisticated, this collection will become the new standard for this field.' Anna Tsing, Anthropology, University of California at Santa Cruz 'The global drama of music's digitisation elicits extreme responses – from catastrophe to piratical opportunism – but between them lie more nuanced perspectives. This timely, absolutely necessary collection applies anthropological understanding to a deliriously immersive field, bringing welcome clarity to complex processes whose impact is felt far beyond what we call music.' David Toop, London College of Communication, musician and writer ‘Spanning continents and academic disciplines, the rich ethnographies contained in Music and Digital Media makes it obligatory reading for anyone wishing to understand the complex, contradictory, and momentous effects that digitization is having on musical cultures.’ Eric Drott, Music, University of Texas, Austin ‘This superb collection, with an authoritative overview as its introduction, represents the state of the art in studies of the digitalisation of music. It is also a testament to what anthropology at its reflexive best can offer the rest of the social sciences and humanities.’ David Hesmondhalgh, Media and Communication, University of Leeds ‘This exciting volume forges new ground in the study of local conditions, institutions, and sounds of digital music in the Global South and North. The book’s planetary scope and its commitment to the “messiness” of ethnographic sites and concepts amplifies emergent configurations and meanings of music, the digital, and the aesthetic.’ Marina Peterson, Anthropology, University of Texas, Austi