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Credibility in the blogosphere: A study of measurement and influence of wine blogs as an information source
Author(s) -
Cosenza Tracy Rickman,
Solomon Michael R.,
Kwon Wisuk
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of consumer behaviour
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.811
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1479-1838
pISSN - 1472-0817
DOI - 10.1002/cb.1496
Subject(s) - credibility , blogosphere , source credibility , social media , wine , usability , scale (ratio) , psychology , internet privacy , structural equation modeling , advertising , social psychology , computer science , the internet , world wide web , business , political science , machine learning , law , physics , optics , quantum mechanics , human–computer interaction
Uncovering what drives the consumer to action is of interest to academia and industry alike, and the advent of social media has added a confounding layer to the consumer decision process. In some ways, it has changed nothing, and in other ways, it has changed everything. Information is at the heart of decision making, and blogs offer a plethora. A positive evaluation of credibility (believability) will ultimately determine its usability for decision making. Using centered resonance analysis of wine blog writers and readers focus group data, this study attempts to address the full range of blog characteristics (subsequent scale items) that can be evaluated for credibility, anchoring them to the relevant research streams of media, website, and word of mouth. Structural equation modeling of viral blog and Twitter survey data is used to test the hypothesized scale with three dimensions—site, message, and source—for validity and also evaluate the credibility influence on behavioral intentions as mediated by trust. Evidence suggests that the author (source) is central to credibility evaluation. The data also support the influence of wine blog credibility perceptions on trust, which leads to following wine blog recommendations and continuing to participate with the wine blog. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.