Preliminary Analysis On The Indicators Affecting Islamic Information Credibility In Social Media

Abstract

The continuous use of social media as a means to acquire information by individuals has brought about an avenue for Islamic scholars to use the platform as a means to disseminate Islamic knowledge. However, not many individuals would evaluate, seek clarification and visit the social media pages of these scholars on a daily basis. Inexperienced social media users which usually lack the clues to assess the credibility of online information can be easily mislead by false information. Some may obtain information shared by their friends on social media that may lack credibility. It would be dangerous if the content of the Islamic posting has misinformation and disinformation that could damage the impression and practices of the religion. As Islamic propagation gains more significance in social media, there is a need to have a valid measurement to evaluate the credibility of Islamic information online. This paper explores the indicators that affect Islamic information credibility in social media. An interview was conducted to panel of experts within the Islamic and social media domain to obtain reviews on the indicators identified to be of importance towards the credibility of Islamic information. The three information credibility dimensions are discussed and triangulated with the results of the interview analysis. Results indicate that the three confirmed dimensions of Islamic information credibility in social media are: information source dimension “Authority, Trustworthy and Writing source”, information content dimension “Relevancy, Legitimacy, Objectivity, Adequacy, Accuracy and Authenticity”, and finally social environmental dimension “Social Identity, Subjective norm and Group norm”.