Source Credibility Theory: SME Hospitality Sector Blog Posting During the Covid-19 Pandemic

During the recent Covid-19 pandemic SMEs in the hospitality sector had to develop new ways of increasing consumer engagement and maintaining business activity. This study examines the effect of using blogs to counter the detrimental effect of pandemic lockdowns. A survey method was deployed with 449 respondents. Analysis used SEM PLS. The findings show trustworthiness and reputation positively affects credibility, but promotional incentives and expertise do not affect credibility. The findings also suggest that unverified information sharing mediates the relationship between credibility and loyalty. Information System (IS) researchers can systematically develop approach using big data to identify false information. This research contributes to knowledge of both IS researchers and SMEs in hospitality sector. SMEs in hospitality sector can partner IS and use this research as an example of method for recovering from crisis by the adoption of blog posts, as well as working remotely with IS researchers to explore data sources and research techniques to investigate false information.