Social media has become a digital religion. Or perhaps a cult in some ways. This is absolutely true on Twitter, where the number of followers someone has is seemingly tied to their credibility – rather than what the actual message says.

People who make good points can be dismissed easily because they don’t have enough followers. On the flip side, those who “work it” and try to get followers – akin to digital apostles – can be declared more credible because so many people follow them.

But is this possible? Credible?

Dr. Leilani CARVER, director of Graduate Strategic Communication and Leadership at Maryville University, explained that a large number of followers could indicate credibility through a persuasive strategy known as’social proof. “Social proof, popularized by professor of influence Dr. Cialdini, is the idea that if someone is unsure about what they should do – e.g., should I buy this widget? – they will look to others to see what they do – e.g., how many people bought the widget and what review was it given?. If many people believe in something or take an action, they are more likely to do so.

This can lead to a large following on social networks. Some users may assume that someone with a large following is worthy of being followed.

“One problem with granting this credibility based upon numbers is that there are ways to cheat the system and inflate your numbers – e.g., buying followers – so follower engagement is actually a much better read of influence regarding marketing strategy. Carver said that the bigger problem may be that the person who has a large following is not credible.

Simply put, simply because you have followers does not make your an expert. Even if you have followers, it does not necessarily make you an expert on a topic.

“If there is a relationship between credibility and the number of followers a person has on social media, it is probably an inverse relationship. According to Josh Crandall, a Netpop Research analyst in the technology industry, “The more followers someone has, the less credible they are.”

“There are some who have a lot of integrity for facts and science and amass a sizable following online such as Neil deGrasse Tyson (~14.2M Twitter) and Richard Dawkins (~2.9M), but the vast majority of popular influencers are building their followers through the cult of celebrity – Kylie Jenner (~39.2M) or the power of bombastic rhetoric – Joe Rogan (~7.6M),” Crandall noted. “In fact more than half the top 50 twitter accounts are celebrities, musicians, or sports figures. I don’t know if these people are credible other than sharing their opinions. And based on what we have seen in the recent past – think Gina Carano – those opinions can be highly subjective and suspect at times.”

Carver also mentioned that Kylie Jenner’s half …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer

Author: Aaron