Trust or distrust in the web‐mediated information environment (W‐MIE)

Abstract

PurposeThe proliferation of the internet as the means for knowledge and information exchange gives rise to new issues of sustaining trust within web‐mediated information environments. However, researchers have not studied trust on websites that evoke emotionally charged topics that are culturally and ethically oriented as much as they have studied e‐tailing trust. Hence, this paper aims to explore the notion of trust within the web‐based information for Islamic content environment and how consumers' trust evaluations on topics that are sensitive to their cultural norms would give different a connotation of trust and its guidelines.Design/methodology/approachThe paper discusses the notion of trust, its dimensions, conceptualisation and operationalisation in the online environment. The paper presents the results of a descriptive study conducted via an online survey distributed to online Muslim users through the mailing list of the Federation of Universities in the Islamic World (see www.fuiw.org) database.FindingsThe analysis highlights issues surrounding trust among 605 respondents from different continents. The outcome of the findings indicates the importance of third‐party seals and overall site presentation in mediating the interaction of trustworthy communication.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the huge population of Muslims from different ethnic groups, the research is unable to capture a general order of the perceptions of trust. In addition, what are presented here are “possible issues” of trust that exist amongst Islamic communities and not something definitive.Practical implicationsDesigners of information artefacts should consider the cultural aspect in which the information domain resides, because the culture within which a person operates will shape his or her perception of trust. Hence, creating the right appearance on the web by imposing online legitimacy, appropriate communication styles and appearance are integral issues for designers to consider in developing information systems for a sensitive information context.Originality/valueThe research should be of value to those who have an interest in exploring, enquiring and communicating knowledge or information pertaining to a Muslim user group within the wider human‐computer interaction scope.