Egyptian and Saudi university students' reliance on influencer content on social media platforms and its relationship to their credibility

The study sought to reveal the extent to which Egyptian and Saudi university students rely on influencer content on social media platforms and the relationship between this and their perceived credibility. It also sought to identify the motives and behaviors behind the respondents' use of influencer content on social media platforms. It also explored the most significant effects (cognitive, affective, and behavioral) resulting from the respondents' following of influencer content on social media platforms. The study relied on a descriptive approach using a questionnaire, applied to a sample of 450 people. The study also relied on the media dependency approach and the source credibility model within its theoretical framework. The study results confirmed: (1) The existence of a statistically significant positive correlation between the degree to which Egyptian and Saudi university students rely on social media platforms to follow influencer content and their level of credibility of that content. (2) The existence of a statistically significant relationship between the cognitive, affective, and behavioral effects resulting from Egyptian and Saudi university students' reliance on social media platforms to follow influencer content and their level of credibility of that content. 3) There is a statistically significant relationship between the dimensions of credibility (attractiveness, expertise, and trustworthiness) in influencers' content on social media platforms and the level of credibility of that content. These results indicate that Egyptian and Saudi university students prefer to follow content from influencers with high credibility.
المزيد