Understanding trust on social networking sites among tertiary students: An empirical study in Ghana

Felix Nti Koranteng, Isaac Wiafe, Ferdinand Apietu Katsriku, Richard Apau

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

User trust in social networking sites (SNS) has become an important issue in SNS discussions. This is because of its impact on knowledge sharing, social commerce, social interaction, among many others. However, information systems researchers have primarily explored the benefits of trust with little attention to its antecedents. In an attempt to address this knowledge gap, this study proposed a model that investigated the factors that promote trust among SNS users. Data was gathered from voluntary respondents using a questionnaire. A PLS-SEM analysis of 912 valid responses suggested that Norm of Reciprocity, Social Interaction Ties and Identification are significant factors that encourage Trust among SNS users. Shared Language was also identified to have impact on Norm of Reciprocity, Social Interaction Ties and Identification. The results of the study provide significant theoretical and practical contributions. They bridge the knowledge gap regarding the formation of Trust on SNS. The model evaluated explains 49.6% of the variance in Trust and thus suitable for analyzing the antecedents of Trust on SNS. Furthermore, with the significance of Identification, Social Interaction Ties and Norm of Reciprocity on Trust, SNS developers are tasked to offer SNS features that proliferate the formation of these factors as well as shared interpretations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)209-225
Number of pages17
JournalApplied Computing and Informatics
Volume19
Issue number3-4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 9 Jun 2023

Keywords

  • Shared language
  • Social Network Trust
  • Social capital
  • Social networking sites
  • Trust

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Understanding trust on social networking sites among tertiary students: An empirical study in Ghana'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this