Building Trust in Online Environments Building Trust in Online Environments CSCW 2006 Workshop Nov. 4 th, 2006 Revisiting Online trust: Concepts, Implications, and Future Directions S. Joon Park Qiping Zhang

Nov. 4th, 2006Online Trust Review Presentation2 Agenda Online Trust vs. Offline Trust Definitions Trust Elements on the Web Different Types of Trust Modeling Online Trust Antecedents of Trust Interventions

Nov. 4th, 2006Online Trust Review Presentation3 Online Trust vs. Offline Trust Online TrustOnline Trust –The technology itself as the object of trust –Asynchronous online interactions –Users use two-dimensional screen to interact CommunalitiesCommunalities –The sense of exchange. –In both settings, trust plays an important role in the exchange of information or monetary values.

Nov. 4th, 2006Online Trust Review Presentation4 Definitions of Online Trust Psychology: trust as a personal trait Sociology: trust as a social structure Economy: trust as a cost and benefit mechanism Information systems & E-commerce: –informational and transactional aspects of the Internet. –Website as the object of trust. an attitude of confident expectation in an online situation of risk that one’s vulnerabilities will not be exploitedOnline trust is “an attitude of confident expectation in an online situation of risk that one’s vulnerabilities will not be exploited.” –Corritore, C. L., Kracher, B., Wiedenbeck, S. (2003), On-line trust: concepts, evolving themes, a model, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 58(6),

Nov. 4th, 2006Online Trust Review Presentation5 Six Essential Trust Elements on the Web RiskRisk UncertaintyUncertainty ExpectationExpectation VulnerabilityVulnerability: often reflected in institution-based trust: one’s sense of security in an impersonal and structural setting. PrivacyPrivacy: concern about control over personal information. SecuritySecurity: the nature of the Internet has increased concerns about online security.

Nov. 4th, 2006Online Trust Review Presentation6 Different Types of Online Trust Personal & Social Aspects and Trust Personality-based trust, also called propensity to trust, dispositional trust, or emotion-based trust: the general willingness to trust others. Interpersonal trust: a user is confident in and willing to act on the basis of the words, actions, and decisions of the online organization. –Cognition-based trust –Cognition-based trust: relies on rapid cognitive cues, or first impressions, cultural similarity, such as group identity, language, and ethnicity –Affective trust –Affective trust: based on emotions, moods, and feelings of an individual, –Cognitive trust is more important at the beginning –Affective trust becomes increasingly important as the relation intensifies.

Nov. 4th, 2006Online Trust Review Presentation7 Impersonal Aspects of Trust Institution-based trustInstitution-based trust, or institutional trust: impersonal and structural settings. –Situational normality –Structural assurances Calculative trustCalculative trust, originated from economics, also called deterrence-based trust: Rational assessments of the costs and benefits of another party cheating or cooperating in a relationship Non-calculative trustNon-calculative trust shares elements of affective trust, which may be reserved for personal and close relationships, such as family or other loved ones.

Nov. 4th, 2006Online Trust Review Presentation8 Developing Trust Rapidly vs. Forming Trust Gradually Initial trustInitial trust: trust in an unfamiliar trustee with a relationship in which the actors do not yet have credible, meaningful information about, or affective bonds with, each other. –More salient in a face-to-face setting: nonverbal cues and visual and audio aspects of the communication Swift trustSwift trust: Does not focus on the interpersonal dimensions that takes time to establish. Knowledge-based trustKnowledge-based trust: Opposite to initial trust. –Familiarity is a widely recognized predictor of knowledge-based trust in literature. –Relevant to calculative trust. Delayed trustDelayed trust: CMC may delay trust in the absence of body language, facial expressions, and subtle voice inflections.

Nov. 4th, 2006Online Trust Review Presentation9 MODELING ONLINE TRUST Individual Attitudes and Behaviors towards IT Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI)

Nov. 4th, 2006Online Trust Review Presentation10 MODELING ONLINE TRUST Individuals in the Social Context Social Identity Theory (SIT) Social Network Theory (SNT) Social Exchange Theory (SET) Expectation Confirmation Theory (ECT) Game Theory

Nov. 4th, 2006Online Trust Review Presentation11 BOOSTING ONLINE TRUST Establishing a Trustworthy Environment for E-Commerce Antecedents of Consumer Trust in E-Commerce Reputation: For example, people often demand names they trust, such as the Guardian Online, CNN online, and New York Times Online, for national and international news. Size: Online users and customers could use the calculative process The effect of perceived store size on trust: Situation specific –For example, if one is buying an expensive item, such as an automobile or computer equipment, the perceived size has a greater effect on developing trust towards the particular online vendor.

Nov. 4th, 2006Online Trust Review Presentation12 What Makes a Website Trustworthy? Three Primary Antecedents of Trust The assessment of ability, integrity, and benevolence is affected by the context as these three antecedents of trust are situation and domain- specific. Ability: Competency is one of the most important constructs that enables ability. Integrity: The consistency of past actions, credibility of communication, commitment to standards of fairness, and the congruence of the other’s word and deed. Benevolence: Concerned enough about its customers’ welfare to either advance their interests or at least not impede them. –A benevolent online store is ethical, honest, and well-intended, and demonstrates receptivity and empathy toward users’ concerns and needs.

Nov. 4th, 2006Online Trust Review Presentation13 The Relationship of Three Dominant Antecedents of Trust Ability, integrity, and benevolenceAbility, integrity, and benevolence are significantly and strong correlated with each other. However, these factors are separable from one another, and each may vary independently of the others in terms of its effects and nature. –For instance, high ability at one task may not necessarily imply high ability at another task. A user may believe that the online vendor is honest and benevolent but may not feel it is competent enough to make a purchase. Takes iterative efforts Can be destroyed in a moment. Long-term investments in branding and customer satisfaction to increase the levels of their ability, integrity, and benevolence.

Nov. 4th, 2006Online Trust Review Presentation14 Gaining Trust through Social Cues in CMC Social Interventions through CMC Encouraging socialization increases levels of trust in a CMC setting. –Ex) Initial face-to-face contact prior to computer-mediated text communication in the case of virtual team. When face-to-face interactions are not available: audio and visual. –photos on a website influences the development of affect-based trust (interpersonal cues) –Rich media, such as video, does boost the level of affective trust, which is based on interpersonal or social cues, especially for individuals who are from high context cultures.

Nov. 4th, 2006Online Trust Review Presentation15 Conclusion Many different types of trust. Various trust-related constructs and factors should be considered from perspectives which take the Web into account. Trust factors could often intertwine with one another. –For instance, dispositional trust affects interpersonal trust only when novel situations arise in which the other object of trust and the situation are unfamiliar. –Online trust can also be reflected in both institutional determinants, such as perceived structural assurances, and personal or interpersonal forms of beliefs, such as dispositional trust. –Furthermore, online trust can also be viewed from perspectives of an individual (Theory of Reasoned Action) or a social networks (Social Identity Theory and Social Network Theory). Empirical Studies are needed to confirm or refute the theories

Nov. 4th, 2006Online Trust Review Presentation16 Thank you!Thank you!