Credibility and COVID-19: The Effects of Instagram Comment Moderation Affordances and Source Type

Abstract

The need for credible information, including news and public health guidance, is high during the global COVID-19 pandemic, and publics are turning to social media to seek such information. Extant research has shown that the use of various technological affordances can affect social media users’ perceptions of message and source credibility. Still, the effects of affordances on perceived credibility have been relatively underexplored on Instagram. Moreover, Instagram allows users to limit comments on their posts, a unique capability that can be understood as a comment moderation affordance. This 2x2 experimental study (n = 149) explored the effects of an Instagram comment moderation affordance (comments not limited vs. comments limited) and source type (news organization vs. public health organization) on Instagram users’ perceptions of message and source credibility in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. While limiting comments did not have a significant effect on perceived source or message credibility, source type did significantly affect perceived source credibility. No significant interaction effects were found. While contributing to the limited research on the use of Instagram comment moderation affordances, the findings also have practical implications for social media managers of news and public health organizations navigating public health crisis situations.