Not just numbers: The role of social media metrics in online news evaluations

Abstract

This study examines how social media metrics, as compared to the credibility of news organizations, affect online news evaluations. In a 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment (N = 202), participants read a news story that was reported either by a high credibility or a low credibility news organization, with either an absence or presence of social media metrics. The results indicate that (a) social media metrics reduce the effects of media credibility on online news evaluations; (b) the effects of social media metrics on online news evaluations hold only when the news story is from a low credibility news organization; and (c) the personal relevance of the issue moderates the effects of media credibility and social media metrics. These findings suggest that social media metrics may work as a new form of alternative to the two-step flow model of communication. The findings also reemphasize the need for media organizations to maintain their credibility in the generational shift of news consumption.