CredibiliTUM: The Influence of Personality on the Perception of Credibility

BACKGROUND

In the world of yesterday, where fake news and alternative facts spread globally through digital media, the continuous influx of information persistently posed the question of credibility. Particularly, online influencers and bloggers used their channels and platforms to connect with many people and disseminate their information.

PROJECT

CredibiliTUM sought to analyze the relationship between the two fundamental aspects of personality and credibility. In our project, we wanted to determine if credibility interlinked with an individual's personality or some of its traits, potentially causing us to perceive others as more credible.

Thus, we decided to refer to the Big Five Personality Test, which was highly esteemed among psychotherapists as its five-factor structure indicated a tendency between two extremes, observing how each aspect had its specific nuances and shades of meaning.

We had already collected data from online influencers. For the data collection, we used a questionnaire and various videos from these influencers.

The five dimensions considered were: openness (to experience), conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism; hence the classification was also referred to as OCEAN, given the initials of each element.

GOAL OF OUR STUDY

Our study aimed to contribute fresh perspectives to the global discussion on credibility in the digital age, as well as the significant role online communication played.

We provided the participating influencers a brief summary of the perception of their presented content, and also the opportunity to engage a wider audience.

Team

• Luisa-Maria Kraus
• Hayden Liu Weng
• Carolin Schimmer
• Lea Luka Sikau
• Milena Wörsching

Tutors

• Beate Lang
• Nikolaus Pöchhacker

Mentors

• Dominik Frank
• Prof. em. Dr. Erich Sackmann
• Prof. Dr. rer. soc. Elisabeth Wacker