Credibility of TikTok Influencers and Political Interest among Young Malaysian Voters
Abstract
This study examines the relationship between the credibility of TikTok influencers and political interest among young Malaysian voters. Grounded in Source Credibility Theory, the study focuses on four credibility dimensions, namely competence, trustworthiness, attractiveness and dynamism, while political interest is treated separately as the dependent variable. A quantitative cross sectional survey was conducted among 384 registered young voters aged between 18 and 25 years from the six Malaysian states involved in the 2023 State Elections. Respondents were selected using purposive sampling based on their use of TikTok and exposure to political influencers. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression. The correlation results show that trustworthiness and attractiveness have weak but statistically significant positive relationships with political interest, whereas competence and dynamism are not significantly related to political interest. When the four dimensions were examined simultaneously, competence emerged as a significant positive predictor, while trustworthiness showed a significant negative coefficient. Attractiveness and dynamism were not significant predictors. The regression model was statistically significant but explained 4.8% of the variance in political interest. These findings demonstrate that the dimensions of influencer credibility do not operate uniformly and that their relationships with political interest differ when examined separately and simultaneously. The study provides a more specific application of Source Credibility Theory to TikTok political communication and contributes empirical evidence from young Malaysian voters in the post Undi18 electoral context.
Keywords: TikTok, source credibility, political interest, young voters, political influencers.
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Abidin, C. (2021). Mapping internet celebrity on TikTok: Exploring attention economies and visibility labours. Cultural Science Journal, 12(1), 77–103. https://doi.org/10.5334/csci.140
Amin, A. (2024). Can I trust you? A multi-level investigation of social media influencers. Journal of Marketing Communications. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2024.2440908
Bennett, W. L. (2012). The personalization of politics: Political identity, social media, and changing patterns of participation. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 644(1), 20–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716212451428
Berlo, D. K., Lemert, J. B., & Mertz, R. J. (1969). Dimensions for evaluating the acceptability of message sources. Public Opinion Quarterly, 33(4), 563–576.
Boulianne, S. (2015). Social media use and participation: A meta-analysis of current research. Information, Communication & Society, 18(5), 524–538. https://doi.org/gd526p
Cervi, L., Tejedor, S., & García Blesa, F. (2023). TikTok and political communication: The latest frontier of politainment? A case study. Media and Communication, 11(2), 203–217. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i2.6390
Enli, G., & Rosenberg, L. T. (2018). Trust in the age of social media: Populist politicians seem more authentic. Social Media + Society, 4(1), Article 2056305118764430. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118764430
Han, J., & Balabanis, G. (2024). Meta-analysis of social media influencer impact: Key antecedents and theoretical foundations. Psychology & Marketing, 41(2), 394–426. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21927
Horton, D., & Wohl, R. R. (1956). Mass communication and para-social interaction: Observations on intimacy at a distance. Psychiatry, 19(3), 215–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.1956.11023049
Hovland, C. I., & Weiss, W. (1951). The influence of source credibility on communication effectiveness. Public Opinion Quarterly, 15(4), 635–650. https://doi.org/fs3zww
Jalli, N. (2025). Viral justice: TikTok activism, misinformation, and the fight for social change in Southeast Asia. Social Media + Society, 11(1), Article 20563051251318122. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051251318122
Kasmani, M. F. (2023). Undi 18: Understanding the political participation of first-time Malay voters through social media. SEARCH Journal of Media and Communication Research, Special Issue: SEARCH 2022 Conference, 33–48.
Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30(3), 607–610. https://doi.org/ggb4r2
Lee, S., & Xenos, M. (2022). Incidental news exposure via social media and political participation: Evidence of reciprocal effects. New Media & Society, 24(1), 178–201. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820962121
Literat, I., & Kligler-Vilenchik, N. (2023). TikTok as a key platform for youth political expression: Reflecting on the opportunities and stakes involved. Social Media + Society, 9(1), Article 20563051231157595. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231157595
Moffett, K. W., & Rice, L. L. (2024). TikTok and civic activity among young adults. Social Science Computer Review, 42(2), 535–553. https://doi.org/10.1177/08944393231188470
Mohd Razif Zakaria. (2021). Dimensi kredibiliti sumber maklumat kesihatan dalam program Doktor Muda [Doctoral dissertation, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia].
Nor Azyani Tsania Mohd Nor, Syahirah Samantha Foo Su Sien Mohd Fird, Nur Marissa Nabilah Mohd Ridhwan, & Mohamad Hafifi Jamri. (2025). Analyzing TikTok’s influence on youth political activism and social participation in Malaysia. Jurnal Wacana Politik, 10(1), 33–40. https://doi.org/10.24198/jwp.v10i1.56598
Oden, A., & Porter, L. (2023). The kids are online: Teen social media use, civic engagement, and affective polarization. Social Media + Society, 9(3), Article 20563051231186364. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231186364
Ohanian, R. (1990). Construction and validation of a scale to measure celebrity endorsers’ perceived expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness. Journal of Advertising, 19(3), 39–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.1990.10673191
Pan, M., Blut, M., Ghiassaleh, A., & Lee, Z. W. Y. (2025). Influencer marketing effectiveness: A meta-analytic review. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 53(1), 52–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-024-01052-7
Ronald Alfred, J. J., & Wong, S. P. (2022). The relationship between the perception of social media credibility and political engagement in social media among Generation Z. Journal of Communication, Language and Culture, 2(2), 17–32. https://doi.org/10.33093/jclc.2022.2.2.2
Saidin, M. I. S., & Azrun, N. (2025). Barriers to youth political participation: Insights from Malaysia’s lowered voting age policy (Undi18) in the 15th General Election. Cogent Social Sciences, 11(1), 2491710. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2025.2491710
Sanawi, J. B., & Marzuki, E. (2025). Scrolling to believe: Evaluating the link between perceived credibility of social media as a source of political information and the political attitudes of young adults in Malaysia. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 41(1), 522–536. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2025-4101-30
Sitorus, B. A., Ambad, S. N. A., & Dawayan, C. R. (2024). TikTok influencers’ credibility and its impact on local cosmetic purchase intention. Jurnal Intelek, 19(2), 121–132. https://doi.org/10.24191/ji.v19i2.26536
Stattin, H., Amnå, E., & Russo, S. (2023). Setting societal engagement goals during adolescence amplifies the impacts of political interest on political activities during young adulthood. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 47(2), 135–145. https://doi.org/10.1177/01650254221113465
Veerappan, M., Maraya, R., & Ramasamy, M. D. (2023). Influence of TikTok among the Malaysian first time voters and Undi-18 voters in the 15th General Election (GE-15). International Journal of Electronic Governance, 15(4), 404–422. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJEG.2023.136274
Wan Ismail, W. N. F., & Adnan, W. H. (2024). A review of political interest and media dependency on social media usage among the youth in Malaysia. Forum Komunikasi, 19(2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.24191/FK.V19i2.2024_02
Wasike, B. (2023). I am an influencer and I approve this message! Examining how political social media influencers affect political interest, political trust, political efficacy, and political participation. International Journal of Communication, 17, 3110–3132.
Whitehead, J. L., Jr. (1968). Factors of source credibility. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 54(1), 59–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/00335636809382870
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
e-ISSN: 2289-1528