Investigating the Perceived Trustworthiness of Digital Information

Abstract

Contemporary digital environments provide users with access to vast amounts of information of varying quality and trustworthiness. Unlike offline contexts where information gatekeepers have traditionally guided users towards reliable content, online environments often lack such intermediaries to support users in discerning trustworthy from untrustworthy information. Consequently, digital-specific interventions to support information evaluation have become increasingly important. However, effective interventions require solid theoretical foundations. Whilst existing models of trust have successfully explained trust behaviours and decisions in online contexts, they often undertheorise how perceptions of information trustworthiness are formed. This thesis addresses these gaps by investigating how individuals evaluate the trustworthiness of digital information, focusing specifically on the environmental trust cues influencing these evaluations and how pre-existing attitudes towards information sources may moderate their interpretation. Drawing on concepts from trust and persuasion literatures, this thesis explores how users' psychological evaluations of trustworthiness adapt to the affordances and contexts of contemporary digital information ecosystems. The findings of this thesis contribute to academic knowledge by providing a more integrated understanding of how environmental and psychological factors jointly influence users' perceived trustworthiness of digital information. Practically, these insights provide a theoretical grounding for developing targeted interventions that account for both the trust cues present in digital environments and individual differences in how users interpret these cues, ultimately supporting users in navigating the complex landscape of online information.

Date of Award	2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Sponsors	UKRI EPSRC
Supervisor	Laura G. E. Smith (Supervisor) & Adam Joinson (Supervisor)