Is Hearing Really Believing?

Abstract: Smart speakers are becoming popular all over the world and offer an alternative to conventional web search. We conducted two experiments to investigate whether different message modalities affect credibility perceptions, which role sponsor credibility and message accuracy play, and if this role differs in the two modalities. Based on the MAIN Model by Sundar (2008) , we assumed that modality, that is, whether the information is given textually or aurally, can affect credibility assessments. To investigate this, two online experiments with a 2 (modality: smart speaker/search engine) × 2 (message accuracy: high/low) ×3 (sponsor credibility: high/low/none) mixed factorial design were conducted ( n = 399 and 398). Information presented by the voice of a smart speaker was generally perceived as more credible. Results further showed that no source attribution and low message accuracy affected message credibility less in the auditive than in the textual modality, especially for participants with less topic involvement. With this, we gained valuable insights into the role of smart speakers for information search and potential downsides of this usage.