The role of trust in enhancing Internet use in a high-risk society
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to determine the key trust antecedents that influence Internet users’ trust level toward Internet service providers (ISPs) in a high-risk society. It also investigates trust-building process, major causes of its violation, their potential implications and restoration.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method approach was used in collecting data in Kenya in 2014 by using questionnaire and interview techniques. The former was administered to 250 (with 81 per cent response rate) randomly selected Internet users at Kenyatta University while the latter focused on key decision-makers from four randomly selected ISPs in Nairobi.
Findings
The results show that Internet users’ perceptions of ISPs’ ability to be trusted in Kenya depend more on their competence in terms of service delivery (ability) and desire to protect users (benevolence) than upholding acceptable standards (integrity). The results also indicate a lack of trust manifested in poor communication and greed for profit among ISPs as major causes of trust violation.
Originality/value
This paper proposes two frameworks that can enhance Internet use by providing a better understanding of trust in a high-risk society.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the Nokia Foundation, the Finnish Science Foundation for Economics and Technology (KAUTE), the University of Jyväskylä’s graduate school of Computing and Mathematical Sciences (COMAS) and the department of Computer Science and Information Systems for jointly sponsoring this research. We would also like to extend our immense gratitude to the host institutions, Kenyatta University and Telecommunications Service Provider Association of Kenya (TESPOK). Last but not least, we would like to thank Mark and his family for their support in a number of practical arrangements during the entire data collection period in Kenya.
Citation
Touray, A., Savolainen, T., Salminen, A., Sutinen, E. and Dai, Y. (2015), "The role of trust in enhancing Internet use in a high-risk society", Journal of Systems and Information Technology, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 141-166. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSIT-09-2014-0066
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited