Date of Award
4-2011
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Communication
First Advisor
Dr. Patric R. Spence
Second Advisor
Dr. Jennifer Machiorlatti
Third Advisor
Dr. Richard Gershon
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Campus Only
Abstract
Although parasocial relationships are a widely-studied subject in media, it is less known how these one-way relationships affect a person's credibility. Additionally, the effects of social media on parasocial relationships and credibility are unknown. A quasi-experimental design was used to explore this idea. Hypotheses and research questions were tested using four experimental conditions. In the first condition, participants were asked to listen to a radio broadcast. The second condition had participants listen to the same radio broadcast, but this time the host added an element of self-disclosure to the story. In the third condition, the participants listened to the straight-news radio broadcast, and then viewed the host's Facebook page. Finally, the fourth condition had participants listen to the radio broadcast with self-disclosure, and then view the Facebook page. A sample of 120 participants were asked to fill out a survey to see how the self-disclosure and social media affected the show host's credibility and level of parasociability. No significant relationships were noted regarding the influence of social media on credibility or parasociability. Self-disclosure did show a positive influence on parasociability, but not to a significant level.
Recommended Citation
Savage, Maureen E., "Examining the Parasocial Relationships between Radio Announcers and Listeners: How Social Media and Self-Disclosure Impacts Credibility" (2011). Masters Theses. 4183.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/4183