The Trust Paradox: Religious Attendance and Asymmetry in Trust in Religious vs. Atheist Social Media Influencers

• In Event: Sociology of Religion Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 6. Religion and Authority

Abstract

Do religious and atheist social media influencers (SMIs) embody new forms of authority in religious and atheist contexts? While previous research has primarily examined this question from the producers’ perspective, focusing on SMI tactics to establish authority, this study shifts the focus to the consumers’ perspective. It investigates whether audiences trust religious and atheist SMIs and identifies the factors that predict such trust. Findings indicate a paradoxical relationship between religious attendance and trust. Individuals who frequently attend religious services are more likely to trust religious and atheist SMIs. However, they are more likely to manifest asymmetrical trust, favoring religious SMIs exclusively. We attribute this paradox to the dual roles that faith communities play: socializing individuals to respect authoritative figures while simultaneously reinforcing doctrines and ideologies. This research contributes to the digital religion and atheism scholarship with implications for fostering constructive dialogue between religious and atheist communities in a digitally networked society.

Authors

• Esther Chan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

• Di Di, Santa Clara University