“My Superpower is Being Honest:” Perceived Credibility and Parasocial Relationships with Alex Jones

Authors

  • T. Phillip Madison University of Louisiana - Lafayette
  • Kaitlyn Wright University of Louisiana - Lafayette
  • Timothy Gaspard University of Lousiana - Lafayette

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58997/smc.v36i1.79

Abstract

This study explored perceptions of Infowars host Alex Jones’ credibility, and functions of audience parasocial relationships (PSRs) using a sample of Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) workers (N = 584). Several PSR functions predicted perceived credibility of Alex Jones and viewing of Infowars. The conflict and self-understanding functions predicted perceived credibility while relationship maintenance, catharsis, and compensation predicted viewing Infowars. Demographic factors had no significant effect on perceived credibility, although education level was a negative predictor of viewing.

Author Biographies

  • T. Phillip Madison, University of Louisiana - Lafayette

    Phillip Madison (Ph.D., Louisiana State University) is the T. Michael Maher/BORSF Endowed Assistant Professor of Public Relations at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He earned both a Bachelor of Arts in advertising/Spanish and a Master of Arts in mass communication from Texas Tech University, later finishing a Ph.D. in mass communication from Louisiana State University. His research interests focus on the role of human imagination in media effects, and he continues to explore topics such as parasocial relationships, imagined interaction, and their resulting human behaviors and belief systems.

  • Kaitlyn Wright, University of Louisiana - Lafayette

    Kaitlyn Wright (MS, University of Louisiana at Lafayette) is a second-year Ph.D. student at the University of Colorado Boulder in advertising, public relations, and media design (APRD). Her research interests include morality and source credibility with social media influencers (SMIs) on social media. For her Master’s thesis she wanted to understand how social media users viewed beauty influencer’s credibility characteristics expertise, goodwill, and trustworthiness. For her Ph.D. dissertation she is working closely with admirable professors from CU and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL) continuing her research interests with SMIs, morality, and source credibility in a social media environment. Kaitlyn Wright hopes to understand the relationships amongst SMIs and perceived morality and credibility. SMIs influence user’s decisions and buying behaviors daily therefore making her research important to communication research.

  • Timothy Gaspard, University of Lousiana - Lafayette

    Timothy S. Gaspard (MS, University of Louisiana at Lafayette) is a communications Specialist from Gretna, Louisiana. He earned both a Bachelor of Arts in public relations and a Master of Science in Communication from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His research interests focus on the role of human imagination and behavior in relation to social technology and media. Research topics include imagined interaction, human-machine interaction, and human-machine communication.

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Published

2020-12-18

Issue

Vol. 36 No. 1 (2020): Southwestern Mass Communication Journal

Section

Articles