Definition of Credibility

Definition of Credibility

Credibility is the quality of credibility (which can or deserves to be believed). The term comes from the Latin word credibilis . For example: "She lost all credibility with me when she lied to me about her relationship with Lautaro" , "He is a respected and very credible man" , "Dr. Irene Sánchez built her credibility thanks to the honesty of her daily work" .

Credibility, therefore, refers to the ability to be believed . It is not linked to the veracity of the message, but to the objective and subjective components that make other people believe (or not) in said contents. To have credibility, the person or information must build trust in others.

The following two cases can occur: that a person tell the truth and nobody believes him; Someone lies but their interlocutors trust their words to the letter. This difference is linked to the credibility of people and their ability to convince others.

However, it is important to remember that the basis of credibility should always be honesty, since no person can build a circle of friends that lasts a lifetime if you try to sustain it with lies and falsehood. No matter how much someone has managed to influence their environment: if you discover that you have not been honest, your structure will probably fall apart.

In some professions and trades, credibility is an essential value. The politicians and journalists must be credible, otherwise their jobs become less important. The politician who does not have credibility will not be voted in the elections, while the journalist who is in the same situation will not have good reception from the public. Very interestingly, this does not happen in the entertainment world or in the electronic entertainment industry.

Large companies often play to the limit of honesty, manipulating the truth at their convenience to make their way in difficult times, and trying to compensate their consumers every time they go through a good season. It is known that we live in a frantic era, of constant changes and of great demands on the part of the public towards the different markets; the volume of information available to us has turned the innocent buyer into an aspiring expert, who always wants more than he receives.

Faced with this phenomenon , industry giants are forced to lie more than once to buy time and prepare a product that really meets the needs of their consumers. Year after year, we are presented with the best television , the most advanced mobile phone , the fastest processor ; It is suspect that all companies have the most sophisticated product, being that dozens of alternatives coexist.

The preparation of a product for market launch, depending on the sector, usually takes a minimum of six months, but in some cases it can last several years. Even experts are not exempt from taking false steps, from devoting a good portion of their life to a project without a future; But the money that is invested in certain decisions makes it impossible to back down, which is why companies are often forced to present the world with a creation they do not trust .

This is the moment in which they undermine their own credibility, looking at their public in the face and assuring them that they have found a product they can not do without. The same goes for actors and singers, with directors and screenwriters: it is not common means of communication recognize the failure of the great artists; it tries to protect an artificial image of perfection , and this is achieved based on lies, which the audience itself wants to hear.