I'm fairly credible, don't you think? A study of the effects of gendered language on source credibility and persuasion
Date
2011
Authors
Blickenstaff, Ashley Ellen, author
Martey, Rosa Mikeal, advisor
Plaisance, Patrick Lee, committee member
Griffin, Cindy L., committee member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
As the Internet introduces new ways of communicating, these fast and reliable forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC) have saturated offices, homes, airports and any other location with wireless Internet. Communicating in an instant, with one or with many, has become a staple in today's world. However, the technology once deemed "the great equalizer" has now raised concerns about inequalities and how these differences are manifested and perceived in a world where few cues are portrayed. Concerns about gender discriminations give rise to the question, What is the relationship between perceived gender and online perceptions? An online survey with 25 participants provides insight into gender cues and perceptions in one of the worlds most-used resource for communication: email. The results from this survey suggest that users form perceptions of a message's source and the message's persuasiveness through the linguistic cues given, even though cues are reduced in CMC. Participants read two stimuli messages created to simulate a common email message. Messages were attributed to a female writer, but were written using either masculine or feminine language. Analysis of source credibility and message persuasiveness scales suggest that the use of feminine language creates more positive perceptions of the source and more persuasive messages written using masculine language. Analysis of psychological gender suggests that users who are high in masculine characteristics but low in feminine characteristics are more likely to view all sources as having low credibility, but all messages as being highly persuasive. As CMC continues to grow in uses and popularity, businesses, employers, and every-day users are creating perceptions of themselves through the limited cues they are able to provide given the medium. However, users do base perceptions of the source and message from these cues. For women using CMC as a daily function, understanding how these cues are perceived can help them succeed in a gender-biased world.