Exploring Youths Perception of Social Media as Credible News Source in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

The media play a prominent role as an information provider to enable citizens to make informed decisions and participate in governance. The influence of the traditional media as providers, despite their credibility, is diminishing, especially among the youth who rely more on the internet for news content. This study examined youths' perceptions of social media credibility as a news source using the data generated from 308 respondents who emerged via multi-stage sampling. The study found that youths frequently source for news on social media, especially Instagram (84.9%) and Twitter (79%), and view their credibility as moderate (Instagram: (XÌ…=3.90; 4.18) and Twitter (XÌ…=3.74; 3.18). The increasing dependence on social media as new sources and the youth's growing trust can serve as impetus for online news providers to step up the ethical principles of truthfulness, fairness, and accountability.