Trust in the Internet as an experience technology

Abstract

Trust in the Internet and related information and communication technologies – ‘cybertrust’ – could be critical to the successful development of ‘e-services’, such as e-government, e-commerce, e-learning and democratic participation in the rapidly expanding online public sphere. This paper explores trust in cyberspace based on an analysis of data from an Oxford Internet Survey conducted by the Oxford Internet Institute using a multi-stage, national probability sample in Great Britain. The paper highlights various perspectives on the meaning of trust and draws on findings from the Oxford Internet Survey to explore and refine key social determinants of cybertrust. Evidence from this research provides fresh insights into the factors shaping trust in the Internet, arguing that cybertrust, defined as a confident expectation, is influenced by experience, defined operationally by several indicators of proximity to the Internet, in ways shaped by educational background. The potential for using these results to better understand the role of trust on Internet use is addressed, as well as the more indirect implications for reinforcing digital divides.

Keywords:

• Trust
• cybertrust
• experience technology
• information and communication technologies
• social impact
• Internet

Notes

1. A discussion of Internet adoption is provided by Rose (2003); also see Dutton et al. (2005); and recent results of the World Internet Project at http://www.worldinternetproject.net (accessed 27 June 2006)

2. A comprehensive overview of research on the factors related to the perception of risk generally is provided by Jackson et al. (2003).

3. Limited space in this paper allows for only a summary of the analysis on cybertrust undertaken on data from the OxIS 2003 interviews. Fuller details are provided in Dutton and Shepherd (2003, 2005).

4. For a more detailed description of the sampling method, see Dutton and Shepherd (2003, Appendix 7.1), which is available online.

5. The OxIS questionnaire and additional information about the survey are available online at: http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/research/project.cfm?id=8 (accessed 27 June 2006).

6. Questions on information reliability also related to newspaper and television. The question on institutional influences mentioned, in addition to the Internet: major companies; the Government; television news; and newspapers. Although it is arguable that nobody ‘runs’ the Internet in the same way people run, say, newspapers or television, pre-tests and experience during the interviews did not surface confusion on this issue. Confidence in the people communicated with on the Internet was compared with confidence in: scientists; doctors; ‘most people I know’; and ‘most people in this country’.

7. The factor analysis is described in detail in Dutton and Shepherd (2003, Appendix 7.2), and is available online.

8. The exact operational definition is provided, along with the underlying factor analysis, in Dutton and Shepherd (2003, Appendix 2), which is available online.

9. Ordinary least squares regression analysis was used to develop the findings reported in this paper. It is the best understood type of regression and appropriate to this study as the dependent variable was continuous. The two independent variables chosen were: demographic and experience. The literature shows that demographic characteristics, such as age and gender, have an impact on Internet use. The experience variable addresses the certainty trough concept by capturing respondents' interaction with the Internet, both currently and in the past.

10. Socioeconomic status was captured by the standard British social profile.

11. A further OxIS survey that asked similar questions on cybertrust was conducted in 2005 (see http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/research/project.cfm?id=8).

12. WIP reports include one by UCLA's Center for Communication Policy (CCP 2003). See http://www.worldinternetproject.net (accessed 27 June 2006) for information about WIP centres and reports.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

William H. Dutton

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