Examining the Credibility of Online Political News and information in the Millennials in Pakistan

Abstract

This study observed the influence of the credibility factors on the perception of the credibility of political information among the youth. Credibility can be due to the medium through which the information reaches the people; the source of the information; or the information itself. Each of the three factors: medium, source, and message are analyzed separately as an independent variable to observe its influence on the overall credibility of the political content received, as the dependent variable.  The key finding is that the majority of them trust that online political content is produced and run by the trustworthy, intelligent and experts. They also appear to believe that online political content is trustworthy, accurate, fair and respectful towards other’s privacy. Moreover, it is found that the credibility of online political content is independent of any other credibility factor such as the source, medium, or the content credibility.  The number of likes and shares seems to be the biggest criteria of the credibility and trustworthiness of a political content in the eyes of young university students. The findings of the study would allow the experts to convey political information to millennial effectively.