The Relationship between the Perception of Social Media Credibility and Political Engagement in Social Media among Generation Z

Bibliographic Data

ID22361158
AuthorsJaayne Jeevita Ronald Alfred (0000-0002-4646-4092, Multimedia University), Wong Siew Ping (0000-0002-3096-3276, Multimedia University, Malaysia), Siew Ping Wong (Multimedia University)
Year2022
Volume2
Issue2
Pages18-33
Publication date2022-07-27
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Communication, Language and Culture (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2805-444X • E-ISSN: 2805-444X
PublisherMultimedia University (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.33093/jclc.2022.2.2.2
OpenAlexW4288060458
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited22

The growing emphasis on the perception of social media credibility has been an important factor in transforming the way Generation Z natives engage on social media. Subsequently, many people now tend to put tremendous priority on whether the information they find on social media in the realm of politics is presumed as credible which then shapes the way they engage politically. The Generation Z despite being digital natives, are not immune to the repercussions in the process of evaluating the credibility of social media and the misuse of social media in political aspects. Therefore, this research aimed to study the credibility of political information on social media perceived by Generation Z, the political engagement in social media among Generation Z, and the relationship between the perception of social media credibility and political engagement in social media among Generation Z. Quantitative research was carried out on a sample of Generation Z young adults aged 15 to 25 years old residing within Klang Valley, Selangor. From the data analysis of 400 valid responses, it was found that the Generation Z cohort has a positive perception of social media credibility and they show high political engagement in social media. Additionally, the findings indicate that the perception of social media credibility has a significant relationship with political engagement in social media among Generation Z. This paper would be useful to future researchers in studies based on this communication area as well as social news site journalists who produce content and target Generation Z audience in particular

Credibility · Media system dependency theory · Perception · Political communication · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Realm · Social media · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Social Psychology