Date of Award

5-19-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Michael Hazel

Second Advisor

Dr. Giovanni Caputo

Abstract

This thesis examined how people develop a sense of trust in organizations when interacting with them via social media. It discussed the importance of dialogue in developing relationships between organizations and their publics and how social media as a type of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) facilitates dialogue. This thesis identified and discussed the role and challenges of developing trust through CMC and addressed defining the concept of trust for the purpose of research. Social Information Processing (SIP) theory was used to explain how those engaging in CMC develop an understanding of each other when there is no face-to-face interaction and the medium of text is used. Sense-making methodology was used to solicit and code responses from research participants. The key conclusion is that the most important factor in developing a sense of trust when interacting with organizations via social media is that the organization is responsive to their publics and does so in a manner that suggests the organization values the relationship. The implications for organizations is that they must understand the nuances of CMC and social media and ensure the employees who implement their social media strategy are well trained.

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