Abstract
The bedrock of journalism ethics, the “fourth estate,” has traditionally been placed with publishers, managing editors, writers of print media, and network news broadcasters whom the public has been taught to rely upon for trusted verifiable sources of information. The Digital Age of the 21 st century has accelerated the demand for new voices and global borderless news producers; and audiences must now weigh the credibility and accuracy of content against the speed of information that continues to evolve exponentially. This research is an exploration of the concept of trust, also termed credibility of news sources, within social media. Furthermore, this inquiry considers whether a difference in behavior exists between Digital Natives when compared to an older population. While it was expected that younger respondents would more likely trust online sources outside of traditional media relationships, this study found that digital users responded similarly regardless of age. The discussion also includes the constructs that define the differences between the traditional anthropological kinship relationships from virtual relationships; and posits several social-cultural factors that influence trust behavior in virtual mediums, such as personalization, echo chambers, trolling, convenience, and efficiency verses complete accuracy and veracity as a result of always being connected.
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