Influencers enjoy trust, but evade questions on ethics, hidden benefactors – research

Rappler, 11 Mar - https://www.rappler.com/technology/influencers-trust-ethics-hidden-benefactors-issue-research/

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Rappler, 11 Mar - https://www.rappler.com/technology/features/scaffolding-our-notions-of-trust-facts-first-philippines-study-research/

Influencers and micro-celebrities, specifically those who may dabble in the political field, can rely on certain tricks to appeal to the masses, gain trust and an audience, while skirting certain ethical boundaries that traditional gatekeepers of information professionally adhere to.

This is according to a new analysis by professors Cheryll Soriano and Edson Tandoc in a paper called “Scaffolding our notions of trust.” Using strategies that allow them to portray an everyman appeal, these influencers are able to build an audience online, to whom they can broadcast messaging that favors the political parties they are supporting, possibly as part of a bigger disinformation campaign.