OFFSTONE JAN EDITION 2023

30 SHOPPING ON SOCIAL MEDIA: TRUSTWORTHY VS FRAUDULENT By: Dr. Rosninawati Hussin ninahussin@usim.edu.my The author is a senior lecturer at USIM. She is attached to Communication Program at the Faculty of Leadership and Management (FKP), USIM. She teaches many courses under mass communication including advertising and broadcasting. Her research interest is mass communication and media studies. ABSTRACT People use social media to search for products, services, and business information because they believe this platform is convenient today. It helps users efficiently search, evaluate, select, and purchase goods and services. However, there are questions about how trustworthy this platform is when dealing with strangers exposed to fraud. Introduction Social media is becoming one of the most important modern means for disseminating information, such as news, businesses, services, or other trivial matters. As social media users, all information can be accessed through mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets with a single touch of a button. They usually own these devices for convenience, as they can browse the news or current affairs in the absence of television and newspapers, they can shop by simply lying on the couch at home, and they can plan their vacations by electronic travel shopping through social media. In the social media atmosphere, users seek recommendations on products and services from friends, classmates, and others, providing a solid and reliable source of information. Hence, people increasingly rely on social media to get the information they need before making a purchase decision.