We are in the early stages of a 2-year research project, supported by the MacArthur Foundation, to continue and extend our research on credibility. In this research project we are exploring people's understandings of credibility across the wide range of digital information resources available today, including new and emerging forms; examining how and under what circumstances people are likely to carefully scrutinize the information they find; and considering how socioeconomic and demographic characteristics affect usage behaviors and credibility assessments. The project is generating complementary interview, usage, and survey data that will illuminate what resources people are turning to online, how they view them, and in particular how they use them to understand the world. In combination, this 3-stage strategy will produce the most comprehensive knowledge set yet available about how individuals seek, find, and use credible information today.

This project will contribute to efforts in several disciplines aimed to help people find their way through the dizzying array of information choices made available by networked digital media. In the face of increasing disintermediation and media complexity, the practical application of such knowledge could be used to develop methods and tools to properly evaluate information, thereby empowering users to reap the benefits of our vast digital information environment while minimizing the risks of relying on information that may be misleading, incomplete, or wholly inaccurate.