Believability Of Online And Offline Word Of Mouth Among Young People: A Study Of The Undergraduate Students Of The University Of Ghana

Abstract

The study investigated the difference in believability of online and offline word of mouth (WOM) among young people. Due to the current extensive use of the Internet, the study sought to find out the extent of its credibility and to compare it with offline credibility. Literature reviewed in this area showed a lack of consensus and also a paucity of literature on the subject in Africa and Ghana. Consequently, the study sought to uncover insights that could be useful for communication practitioners in a developing economy such as Ghana. Among others, it sought to investigate whether the strength of one’s social ties in a chosen channel of WOM had a relationship with the believability of that WOM. Employing convenience sampling, the study sought to draw relationships between variables such as “trustworthiness of a preferred WOM”, “strength of ties and its influence over a preferred WOM,” and “degree to which a preferred WOM can influence purchase. Using a quantitative approach, the study sampled 100 University of Ghana students. Data was obtained from a 5-item Likert-scale. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze and draw conclusions. The study concluded that young people find offline word-of-mouth (WOM) more believable than online word-of-mouth (WOM). A greater number of respondents attached more credibility to offline WOM, indicating a higher likelihood of being influenced. Strength of ties was regarded as essential in influencing both offline and online WOM believability. It is recommended that future studies under the same subject be undertaken to obtain more accurate conclusions since this study was completed under the constraint of a rigid deadline.