The Impact of Social Media Engagement on News Consumption and Perceived News Credibility on Social Media

Tsen, Howard Heng Fai (2024) The Impact of Social Media Engagement on News Consumption and Perceived News Credibility on Social Media. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

This research investigates the impact of social media engagement on news consumption and perceived news credibility, focusing on how social media users interact with news content and assess its trustworthiness. As social media has become the leading source of news, especially among younger generations, understanding the relationship between engagement metrics—such as likes, comments, shares—and credibility perceptions is very important. Using a sample of 108 respondents, the study explores levels of engagement with news, user perception toward credibility, and the complex associations between engagement behaviours and trust in social media news. The results reveal that most respondents engage with news passively—primarily through viewing rather than active participation in the form of likes ,commenting or sharing—there is widespread scepticism regarding the credibility of news on social media. Respondents expressed concerns about the reliability, balance, and objectivity of news content, with a majority distrusting indicators such as follower counts and likes. Moreover, the study found no statistically significant relationship between social media engagement metrics and perceived news credibility, suggesting that users may rely more on personal relationships and the perceived quality of content rather than engagement indicators when assessing credibility. The study also highlights limitations, such as the small sample size and the lack of platform-specific analysis, which restrict the generalizability of the findings. Suggestions for future research include expanding the sample size, incorporating diverse cultural backgrounds, and differentiating between social media platforms to better understand how specific platform features influence user engagement and credibility perceptions. Overall, the study provides insights into the evolving nature of social media news consumption and the need for greater media literacy to help users critically evaluate news sources in the digital age.