Data-Based Strategic Communication as a Mediator of Trust: Recipients’ Perception of an NPO’s Automated Posts

Abstract

Abstract Strategic communication is undergoing a digital change. Organizations use large amounts of data to automate their strategic communication with the public and relevant stakeholders, i.e. bots take over the task such as creating and distributing content. In particular this raises the question of how individuals evaluate the use of automated posts in social networks and what effects this has on the perceived trustworthiness of the organization—one of the most important resources, especially for non-profit organizations. This experimental study provides empirical insights into this research gap. Our results indicate that the transparent labeling of a post as automated, combined with prior training on the usage of automation in strategic communication, has no effect on the perceived trustworthiness. Based on these results, we conclude with both scientific and practical implications.