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Abstract
The content of Weblogs ranges from personal diary entries to interactive content from news organizations. Employing the uses and gratifications framework, this study examined how much time young adults spend with blogs and how well traditional predictors of media trust fit a model of overall blog trust. Findings from data collections in 2005 and 2007 indicate that information seekers trust blog content more than those using blogs for entertainment purposes. However, traditional indicators of media trust, such as interest in current events, are negatively associated with blog trust. Implications are discussed.
Notes
1A three-cell experiment was embedded in each of the surveys. The blog text was identical in all versions, but the gender of the writer was manipulated. The cells were collapsed for this analysis, and we have no reason to believe the results were affected by this action. More information about the experiment within the survey is available upon request.
2A screen capture of one version of the blog post used in Study 1 is available in the appendix. Upon request, the authors can provide both the original and the edited text of each blog post
3The varying writing styles in Study 2 were employed to minimize artificiality in the experiment. By employing different styles of writing, we could assume that the trust measures were based more in reality than by only providing one type of blog for study. Each was a counterbalance to the post examined in Study 1.
4The alpha coefficient for this variable is lower than ideal, but all three items loaded strongly on one factor in Study 1 (.76 or above factor loading) and the findings were the same using a one-item indicator of trust only. Therefore, we believe the three-item scale bolstered the findings and we replicated the measure in Study 2.
5These source credibility measures were taken from CitationArmstrong and Nelson (2005). Scholars have argued that trust and credibility are separate, although related, concepts (see, e.g., CitationKohring & Matthes, 2007).
*p < .05.
**p < .01.
# = p < .10.
*p < .05.
**p < .01.
# = p < .10.
6Information obtained from http://technorati.com/pop/blogs/ on March 30, 2009.
7A recent study of Americans in Grades 7 through 12 showed that 49% had read blogs and 28% had written a blog (CitationRideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010).