How social media news consumption frequency relates to public evaluations of credibility and journalism

Abstract

This study examines the paradox between social media news consumption and public trust, analysing how usage frequency influences perceptions of credibility, sensationalism, and journalistic integrity. Based on a survey of 406 respondents and analyzed through MANOVA, ANOVA, and Bayesian correlation, the findings reveal a significant but small effect of usage on perceptions of sensationalism (P=.044), with moderate correlations existing between perceptions of lower credibility, sensationalism, and compromised journalism (mean r=.162 to .179). Crucially, the frequency of use showed negligible direct relationships with perceptions of credibility (r=.016), difficulty distinguishing news (r=-.026), or compromised journalistic practices (r=-.039), indicating that critical public perceptions are interrelated yet decoupled from personal consumption intensity. This suggests that societal critique of social media news has crystallized into a widespread ‘ambient awareness’ a generalized climate of skepticism that transcends individual usage patterns prompting a re-evaluation of how media trust is formed in the digital era.