Applying Signaling Theory to Examine Credibility and Impression Management on Social Media

Abstract

This study adapts and extends signaling theory to examine perceptions of credibility, gender, homophily, and impression management on social media. Specifically, the influence of different signal types – conventional, assessment, and strategic signals. A 2x3 experimental design was conducted to examine the effect of source gender and signal type on receiver perceptions of source and message credibility, homophily, and impressions of the source. Findings confirm that different signal types affect the perception of message and source credibility on social media. Concepts of gender and homophily were not impacted by signal types in this research. With the increase of image-oriented social media such as Instagram, these results demonstrate the sender's role in the person perception process. The role of signaling theory for strategic communication practices is addressed, and future theoretical directions are considered.