Abstract
Technology acceptance research has shown that trust is an important factor fostering use of information systems (IS). As a result, numerous IS researchers have studied factors that build trust in IS. However, IS research on trust has mainly focused on the trust relationship between the user and the IS itself, largely neglecting that other targets of trust might also drive IS use from a user’s point of view. Accordingly, we investigate the importance of different targets of trust in IS use. Therefore, we use the concept of a network of trust and identify four different targets of trust that are prevalent from a user’s point of view. Afterwards, we develop our research model and evaluate it using a free simulation experiment. The results show that multiple targets of trust are important in the context of IS use. In particular, we highlight the importance of a second target – trust in the provider – which is equally important as trust in the IS itself. Consequently, IS providers should focus not only on fostering users’ trust in their IS but also on positioning themselves as trustworthy providers. In addition, we show that a third target – trust in the Internet – has significant indirect effects on multiple constructs that impact IS use.
Highlights
The importance of trust for technology acceptance has been shown in numerous studies throughout the information systems (IS) discipline (e.g., Gefen et al, 2003b; van der Heijden et al, 2003; Pavlou & Gefen, 2004; Wang & Benbasat, 2005; Connolly & Bannister, 2007; Datta & Chatterjee, 2008)
We followed the recommendation of Cenfetelli & Bassellier (2009) to not drop this indicator because its inclusion is well-grounded in trust theory
Regarding our research question on the impact of a single target of trust on dependent constructs known from technology acceptance research, we found that three targets of trust have a significant impact on different TAM constructs: trust in the IS, trust in the Internet and trust in the provider
Summary
The importance of trust for technology acceptance has been shown in numerous studies throughout the information systems (IS) discipline (e.g., Gefen et al, 2003b; van der Heijden et al, 2003; Pavlou & Gefen, 2004; Wang & Benbasat, 2005; Connolly & Bannister, 2007; Datta & Chatterjee, 2008) The reason for this importance can be found in the value of trust as a mechanism to reduce social and technical complexity (Luhmann, 1979; Gefen, 2000; Lee & See, 2004). Value in the digital age will increasingly be created through the cooperation of multiple stakeholders (Vargo et al, 2008; Leimeister 2012, 2015) An example of this development is the reliance of many recent IS on multiple sources, for example, recommendations or value added services provided by third parties to create value for their users. We believe this development changes the way we need to think about trust in IS
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