Exploring Trust in Media Brands Today: Definition, Dimensions and Cross-national Differences

Figures & data

Table 1. Structure of the focus group analysis.

Category	Trust Dimensions	Explorative Codes
Subcategory	Relevancy Integrity Transparency Likeness Experience Benevolence Credibility Competence Halo Time Commercialism	Daily Media Usage Media Usage Times Media Brand Definition Media Usage Reason Media Categories Trust Definition Media Brand Trust Reason Impact of Trust Reasons to Distrust Media Values Emotions & Media Commercialization of Media Traditional & Modern Media

Table 2. Categorization of media and non-media brands.

Media Categories (>50%)	Non-Media Categories (≤50%)
Television Channel Television Network Radio Station Radio Programme News (Online) News (Offline) News (Agency) Film Studio (Parent) Film Studio (Major) Music Label Streaming Provider (Music) Streaming Provider (Video) Social Media Print Publisher Outdoor Advertiser Text Messenger Service Video Chat Service	Gaming (Platform) Gaming (Hardware) Gaming (Software) Gaming (Mobile) Hardware Provider Software Provider Dating Platform Event Network Provider Online Retailer Global Tech Brands Influencers

Table 3. Subthemes of media brand definitions.

Subthemes	Examples	Quantitative Results
Media Categories	“In the past, there were some media that we thought were limited. If it’s a newspaper, there’s a medium called a newspaper, and if it’s a movie, there’s a movie theater platform. If it’s a television, there’s a platform called television. And I think they’re getting better and better so that we can communicate more interactively through the development of online and computers or something like this. And I think the development of the platform was also important in that.” (KOR – Int.1 - Transl.) “Because I mean, when you said media, I immediately thought, you know, news outlets” (US – Int.2) “I see this more for what purpose I use the media, that is, for example, information media, such as news channels, news apps or entertainment media such as Netflix or communication media such as WhatsApp, Facebook, etc.” (DE – Int.1 - Transl.)	n = 24 GER: n = 10 US: n = 4 KOR: n = 10
Media Definitions	“Because the term media itself is derived from the term connection. So I think it’s the media that people with information communicate with each other, exchange things, or deliver things in one direction. I think it’s the media that can communicate and connect with each other in our daily lives.” (KOR – Int.1 - Transl.) “I think media is just any kind of app or way of communication with someone sharing their ideas. So like radio, obviously media, TVs, media, the apps like CNN is media or snapshots of media, just ways that people can share ideas with each other.” (US – Int.3) “In the past, I would have said that media is the journalistic field, so to speak. So television, newspapers and so on. And now it’s just become much more. Because you can stream everything, because we have different social media channels. I would call all of that media. Facebook and Instagram are also media. They are also means of transmission, yes, things that facilitate exchange between people. So spreading information, exchanging opinions.” (DE – Int.3 - Transl.)	n = 40 GER: n = 17 US: n = 11 KOR: n = 12
Impact of Media Brand Trust	“I think trusting the media means that I can take my time to appreciate the value of the media and consume it. Unreliable media does not seem to lead to continuous use of media afterwards, even if it is once consumed because it is misled by provocative titles or images. I think I won’t subscribe anymore if I start to think that I don’t trust it.” (KOR – Int.3 - Transl.) “From my perspective, trust actually plays a key role on what kind of input or if I’m using media or not, if they’re not trustworthy, according to my views, or to my knowledge, or to my experience, then I don’t consume those media anymore.” (US – Int. 2) “If there is trust, then I use it more.” (DE – Int. 3 - Transl.)	n = 24 GER: n = 9 US: n = 9 KOR: n = 6

Table 4. Thematic analysis of the dimensions of media brand trust.

Dimension	Examples	Quantitative Results
Relevancy	“I think I’m picking some media depending on what information I personally want to get.” (KOR – Int.3 - Transl.) “[…] is this something that I even want to listen to or watch or read?” (US – Int.1) “So the newspapers I consume are valuable to me because I feel they […] inform me about what I want to know.” (DE – Int.3 - Transl.)	n = 9 GER: n = 1 US: n = 4 KOR: n = 4
Integrity	“Trusting the media gives me […] information that is as unbiased as possible.” (KOR – Int.3 - Transl.) “I think trust to me, is knowing that I can go to the source, and they’ll give me all of the facts, and that they will give it to me in a way that’s not biased.” (US – Int.3) “Maximum objectivity and diversity. So different views on the same subject from different authors and yes, very independent.” (DE – Int.3 - Transl.)	n = 45 GER: n = 14 US: n = 15 KOR: n = 16
Transparency	“They subtly explained what they were trying to say. Looking at it, I realized through the newspaper that depending on how they see the same facts, how they report, what pictures they use, and what pages they put them in, there could be many different results.” (KOR – Int.3 - Transl.) “[…] for me, […] emotional trust is just a matter of private and […] media trust is more a matter for facts and transparency.” (DE – Int.2 - Transl.)	n = 23 GER: n = 8 US: n = 4 KOR: n = 11
Likeness	“I think I tend to trust sources that have the same views as me” (US – Int.3) “So you have experience with [… a media brand] and that fits with your own attitude. And the more one trusts, the more one also reads that and then at some point you no longer read anything else.” (DE – Int.3 - Transl.)	n = 10 GER: n = 2 US: n = 8 KOR: n = 0
Experience	“[…] trust goes up the more you use it.” (KOR – Int.1 - Transl.) “[…] it’s like a relationship. And […] if you break that trust, then I lose it. So, just building the […] foundation over time of being consistent and truthful.” (US – Int.2) “So I think trust for me only builds over time […]. If something is said, done and that is in line with what was said before and that happens more often, no negative examples happen, then I would say that trust then builds up.” (DE – Int.3 - Transl.)	n = 30 GER: n = 4 US: n = 17 KOR: n = 9
Benevolence	“That’s why traditional media has a sense of justification and responsibility, and social media is much less like that, so I think traditional media [I tend] to trust more than social media.” (KOR – Int.3 - Transl.) “So trust is […] the absence of mistrust, that is, of the fear of being affected in some way. […] So to be afraid that someone is working against one’s own interests.” (DE – Int.3 - Transl.)	n = 6 GER: n = 3 US: n = 1 KOR: n = 2
Credibility	“I think it’ll be less reliable if there’s a lack of credibility” (KOR – Int.2 - Transl.) “When I think of trust, I tend to look mostly for reliable sources that support the main argument presented. […] I look for evidence that is supporting that argument mostly.” (US – Int.3) “Trust in the media is all about ensuring that the information is correct.” (DE – Int.1 - Transl.)	n = 32 GER: n = 11 US: n = 12 KOR: n = 9
Competence	“I’ve experienced that I can’t trust the media because I’ve seen people who are considered experts on the same topic talk about completely different things.” - (KOR – Int.1 - Transl.) “I can trust someone if they’re an expert in their field. And [even if] I don’t really agree with what they’re saying. I still trust what they’re saying.” (US – Int.2) “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung simply [is] very trustworthy, because the texts are very, very high quality and long. And because I usually know within the text what they have decided on. Why? How was the drafting? The numbers are a bit more accurate. For me, for example, that would be one where I would trust more, because I get even more info.” (DE – Int.1 - Transl.)	n = 19 GER: n = 4 US: n = 6 KOR: n = 9
Halo	“I don’t trust advertisements from the media that I can’t trust.” (KOR – Int.3 - Transl.) “Unfortunately, when I see the news on Instagram, I trust it a little less than the news on TV, even though it’s totally stupid and I actually know that the same people are checking it. But because I always have in the back of my mind, oh, it’s just Instagram.” (DE – Int1 - Transl.)	n = 7 GER: n = 1 US: n = 3 KOR: n = 3
Commercialism	“I think advertising is necessary, but I think it’s better not to advertise behind the scenes, that deceives consumers.” (KOR – Int.2 - Transl.) “I would basically say that it depends on whether I have paid for the medium or not. Because if I’ve already paid for the medium and advertising is still shown, that’s questionable, because then it couldn’t finance itself purely from the aspect of what they deliver to me as a benefit, so to speak.” (DE – Int.2 - Transl.)	n = 49 GER: n = 20 US: n = 13 KOR: n = 16
Time	“So, the media brands that I trust, are the ones that I’ve trusted for the longest. And the reason I trust them is they haven’t given me a reason not to.” (KOR – Int.1 - Transl.) “I think about the ones for me that have been around a really long time. The ones that I’ve seen my whole life.” (US – Int.2) “The […] reason why I watch the Tagesschau […] and think that what is reported there is important, is because I used to see that with my parents, too, that they always watched it.” (DE – Int.1 - Transl.)	n = 20 GER: n = 7 US: n = 10 KOR: n = 3

Figure 1. Frequency and distribution of statements per dimension.

Figure 2. Code-relations-model of trust dimensions.

Table A1. Survey Questionnaire - Focus Group Interviews

No.	Question	Reasoning	Explorative Code
1	How do you use media? You can walk me through your experience on a typical day. Which media do you use on a daily basis?	Probe to assess the relative importance of different media and gather a set of media used	Daily Media Usage Media Usage Times
2	What do you consider to be ‘media’?	Probe about tech/media/non-media brands	Media Brand Definition Media Categories
3	Which purpose does media serve to you?	Probe to assess media usage which can be linked to trust asked later	Media Usage Reason
4	What does ‘trust’ mean to you?	Probe to gather buzzwords and an understanding about trust	Trust Definition
5	Think about a media brand that you trust. What makes you trust it? Can you give some examples of situations that you felt like you trust this media brand?	Probe for a set of emotions, experiences and specific dimensions connected to media trust	Media Brand Trust Reason
6	What does ‘trusting a media’ mean to you? Is trust in any way relevant to your usage of media brands?	Probe about the different types of media platforms and the impact of trust on this usage	Impact of Trust
7	Have you ever not trusted a certain media?	Probe of other media brands they did not think of before and reasons for distrust	Reasons to Distrust
8	Think about a media brand that you use a lot in your daily life. What makes it valuable to you? Does this make you trust the brand more?	Probe about media value and the connection to media trust	Media Values
9	Think about the media brand that you trusted the most over the years. What do you feel when you think about that media brand? How has it earned trust over time?	Probe on the impact of time on trust in media	Emotions & Media
10	Think about the same brand again. Do you tend to pay for the media you use or is it okay for you to see ads to use them for free?	Probe on the impact of commercialism on media usage and trust	Commercialisation of Media
11	When you think about trusting media. Is there a difference between media you get active on and media you only consume?	Probe on the difference of social and traditional media	Traditional & Modern Media