COMM 5675 - Social Media & Trust

In current information environments such as on social media, individuals can encounter so much information that they cannot check the veracity of every piece of information. When we do not know for sure whether information is correct, we often rely on trust. Trust can be defined as a willingness to be vulnerable to and relying on someone even though there is some uncertainty about whether this will lead to the best or a correct decision for you. This can be trust in the source, such as the media, scientists, the platform, or friends and family. It can also be trust in science as an institution, for example. What influences whom or in what we trust? What makes the social media environment so special when we think of trust? How does trust relate to misinformation? And what can be the results of trust? This course will provide students with the skills to effectively communicate with their intended audiences on social media, to apply theory and research to diverse real-world contexts, to take different perspectives on an issue, and to consider that different audiences may perceive the same message and source differently.