Media and Social Media in Social Evaluations Research

Abstract This chapter identifies current and future directions for traditional and social media studies in social evaluations research through a systematic literature review of the constructs of legitimacy, reputation, status, stigma, celebrity, and trust. Regarding traditional media, researchers have mostly viewed them as institutional infomediaries evaluating organisations. However, considering the media as infotainment economic actors or biased partisan infomediaries could provide fresh insights into their role in the social evaluations processes. Furthermore, studying the media as entities being evaluated, not just as evaluators, can open up multiple avenues for future research. Finally, this chapter urges the development of clearer terminology, refined media measures, and an expanded range of media outlets. Regarding social media, scholars have mostly studied them merely as channels where other actors express evaluations, yet studying them more as active evaluators or evaluated entities is crucial. Also, the chapter suggests exploring the intricate relationship between traditional and social media to reveal how traditional media may validate or invalidate evaluations in social media, and how social media impact an increasingly polarised media landscape which influences social evaluation processes. Finally, it proposes new types of operationalisation for each social evaluation construct using social media variables.