Factors influencing Internet users’ perceived credibility of news-related blogs in Taiwan

Abstract

This study investigates factors influencing Internet users’ perceived credibility of news-related blogs in Taiwan. First, this paper identifies Taiwanese Internet users’ beliefs about news-related blog credibility. Secondly, it examines whether these belief factors can predict their perceived credibility of news-related blogs. Thirdly, it explores whether Internet users’ individual characteristics, Internet use motivations, Internet use behavior, and innovative characteristics can predict their perceived credibility of news-related blogs. Four belief factors about news-related blog credibility were extracted from 13-item five-point Likert questions and account for 57.565% of the variance. Two out of four belief factors contributed significantly to the prediction of Taiwanese Internet users’ perceived credibility of news-related blogs. These predictor factors altogether explained 18.3% of the variance in Internet users’ perceived credibility of news-related blogs. To determine if belief factors were still predictive of Taiwanese Internet users’ perceived credibility of news-related blogs after controlling demographic, Internet use behavior, Internet use motivations, and users’ innovative characteristics, several hierarchical regression analyses were undertaken. The full model explained 29.1% of total variance in Taiwanese Internet users’ perceived credibility of news-related blogs. After controlling all possible confounding variables, the predictive impacts of credibility factors on Taiwanese Internet users’ perceived credibility of news-related blogs remained powerful and stable.