Portrait: Michael Lambek Lambek, Michael; Hefner, Robert W.; Mattingly, Cheryl
Religion and society (New York, N.Y.),
09/2022, Volume:
13, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
In an article as relevant now as when it was written, Aleida Assmann (1996: 94) asks: “How in a world of divided creeds is one to find out which is the true belief?” She draws from Gotthold Lessing's ...character Nathan the Wise to say (ibid.: 95): There are two possible solutions to the problem, that of the fundamentalist and that of the sage. The fundamentalist overcomes the problem of multiplicity by a return to the One. Truth can be restored only if rivals are eliminated and false pretenders unmasked. Truth and order are founded on the tyranny of the One. The solution of the sage is founded on the metaphysics of absence … Under these conditions, multiplicity cannot be overcome. It has to be endured, tolerated. It is a permanent reminder of the fact that absolute truth is not for this world as we know it. To put it in a paradoxical way: it is the discovery of enlightenment that we are all groping in the dark.
Social media microblogs are extensively used to get news and other information. It brings the real challenge to distinguish that what particular information is credible. Especially when user ...authenticity is hidden, due to the microblog's anonymity feature. Low credibility content creates an imbalance in society. Therefore many research studies are conducted to assess automatic microblog's credibility but the majority of them offer different concepts of credibility and the problem seems unresolved. Credibility is multi-disciplinary, hence there is no generalized or accepted credibility concept with all its necessary and detailed constructs/components. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the complete anatomy of information credibility from different disciplines. It is accomplished here through an in-depth and organized study of all the problem dimensions for the identification of comprehensive and necessary credibility constructs. The framework is also proposed based on the identified constructs. It adheres to these constructs and presents their inter-relationships. It is believed that the framework would provide the necessary building blocks for implementing an effective automatic credibility assessment system. The framework is generic to social media and specifically implemented for microblogs. It is completely transformed up to features level, in the context of microblogs. Regarding automatic credibility assessment, it is proposed after detailed analysis that the attempt should be made for hybrid models combining feature-based and graph-based approaches. It is observed that quite a few surveys in the literature focus on some limited aspects of microblogs credibility but no literature survey and fundamental study exists that consolidates the work done. To understand the broader domain of credibility and consolidate the work in this area that can lead us to a suitable framework, we explored the existing literature from different disciplines for the said objectives. We categorized them along various dimensions, developed taxonomy, identified gaps and challenges, proposed a solution, developed a theory-driven framework with its transformation to microblogs, and suggested key areas of research.
Analysis of Factors Influencing E-WOM Credibility Fatema Tuz Zohora; Choudhury, Nazia; Sakib, Md Nazmus
International journal of marketing and business communication,
04/2017, Volume:
6, Issue:
2
Journal Article
As the use of Internet is getting more widespread and people are putting more trust on the Internet-based information, a new form of word of mouth termed as electronic word of mouth (E-WOM) has been ...developed. People receive E-WOM messages from social media, consumer review sites, discussion forums etc. Researches say that people tend to rely on E-WOM messages as much as they do on personal word of mouth. But what variables influence E-WOM credibility? After conducting an intensive background research on this topic this study has been able to identify certain variables such as E-WOMs quantity, polarity, logic and articulation, source and users prior knowledge/expertise that affect E-WOM credibility. Based on the identified variables a survey was conducted on the students of 10 private and public universities of Bangladesh with a view to measure the effect of those variables on the E-WOM credibility. The regression analysis result indicates the quantity of E-WOM and the source of E-WOM has significant impact on E-WOM credibility. While, the designed model overall with all the included variables came strongly significant in explaining E-WOM credibility. In addition, to measure the internal consistency and correlation of the variables Cronbachs Alpha technique and correlation analysis are also conducted which have brought satisfactory outcome. From a strategic point of view, this study is useful for the modern marketers who want to use E-WOM to promote their products or services. By focusing on the predictor variables which have impact on E-WOM credibility, they can be able to enhance the effectiveness of their marketing strategy with a very cost efficient and a time savvy manner.
Drawing on signalling theory, this study aims to fill a gap in knowledge by examining the effects of celebrity trust on advertising credibility, brand credibility and corporate credibility, both ...directly and based on the moderating variables of age, gender and ethnicity. The research has three objectives: (i) to explore the effects of celebrity trust on advertising credibility, brand credibility and corporate credibility; (ii) to explore the effects of celebrity trust on advertising credibility, brand credibility and corporate credibility, based on the moderating effects of consumer demographics; and (iii) to explore the effects of the other constructs on each other. A survey of 625 respondents was conducted in London. The results show that celebrity trust has a positive effect on both advertising credibility and brand credibility, and that these effects are moderated by consumers’ ethnicity, with no effects of age or gender. The significant implications for managers and researchers are highlighted.
Research Summary
We used interviews with elite informants as a case study to illustrate the need to expand the discussion of transparency and replicability to qualitative methodology. An analysis of ...52 articles published in Strategic Management Journal revealed that none of them were sufficiently transparent to allow for exact replication, empirical replication, or conceptual replication. We offer 12 transparency criteria, and behaviorally‐anchored ratings scales to measure them, that can be used by authors as they plan and conduct qualitative research as well as by journal reviewers and editors when they evaluate the transparency of submitted manuscripts. We hope our article will serve as a catalyst for improving the degree of transparency and replicability of future qualitative research.
Managerial Summary
If organizations implement practices based on published research, will they produce results consistent with those reported in the articles? To answer this question, it is critical that published articles be transparent in terms of what has been done, why, and how. We investigated 52 articles published in Strategic Management Journal that reported interviewing elite informants (e.g., members of the top management team) and found that none of the articles were sufficiently transparent. These results lead to thorny questions about the trustworthiness of published research, but also important opportunities for future improvements about research transparency and replicability. We offer recommendations on 12 transparency criteria, and how to measure them, that can be used to evaluate past as well as future research using qualitative methods.
The growth of Instagram continues, with the majority of its users being young women. This study investigates the impact of Instagram upon source credibility, consumer buying intention and social ...identification with different types of celebrities. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 female Instagram users aged 18–30 to determine the extent to which Instagram influences their buying behaviour. The research findings show that celebrities on Instagram are influential in the purchase behaviour of young female users. However, non-traditional celebrities such as bloggers, YouTube personalities and ‘Instafamous’ profiles are more powerful, as participants regard them as more credible and are able to relate to these, rather than more traditional, celebrities. Female users are perceptively aware and prefer to follow Instagram profiles that intentionally portray positive images and provide encouraging reviews.
•Online celebrity endorsements are perceived to be credible and trustworthy when communicating marketing messages.•Personal experience of online celebrities enhances the credibility of their communication.•Female online celebrities are most influential, as these categories are more credible and relevant to young women.•No negative reviews regarding products are posted by users in order to maintain a positive online self-presentation.