Title

Conceptualizing Credibility in Social Media Spaces of Public Relations

School/Department

School of Fine Arts and Communication

Publication Date

Winter 2015

Abstract

There is not an organization today that can afford to ignore the power of social media. Public relations professionals have recognized that it is essential to leverage social media to build and maintain relationships with increasingly interactive publics in a credible way that will foster strong relationships. The purpose of this national study is to re-conceptualize our understanding of credibility in the context of social media by analyzing how organizations employ social media to build credibility. The findings of the study not only extend source and medium credibility research into a timely context, but also contribute to theoretical development and practice in the public relations field. Findings indicate that trustworthiness, expertise, personable interaction and invitational rhetoric are critical dimensions for the credibility of an organization interacting through social media.

Keywords

Social media; Truthfulness and falsehood

Publication Title

Public Relations Journal

Volume

9

Issue

4

First Page

1

Last Page

17

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