What to Trust on TikTok? : The Role of Authority, Jargon, and Prior Knowledge in Evaluating Trust in Political TikTok Content

As TikTok is becoming increasingly popular as a platform for political information, it is crucial to understand what factors influence users’ trust in content. This study aimed to investigate how authority, jargon, and prior knowledge influence trust evaluations in political TikTok content. A 2 (source authority: yes or no) x 2 (use of jargon: yes or no) between-subject experimental design was employed, with 136 Dutch-speaking participants between the ages of 18 to 35 years. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the conditions and had to view a manipulated video. A questionnaire was used to measure trust and prior knowledge. The results showed that neither perceived authority nor use of jargon significantly influenced trust in the video. However, prior knowledge emerged as a significantly strong predictor of trust. No significant interaction effects were found between prior knowledge and the manipulated variables, suggesting that prior knowledge did not moderate the influence of authority or jargon. The findings show that authority and jargon may not be as effective in evaluating trust in TikTok’s short-video format, but prior knowledge is. This demonstrates the value of political literacy in communication and indicates that platforms could benefit from integrating contextual information to enhance users' trust evaluations, ultimately leading to a more informed digital society.