The Role of Trust Belief and its Antecedents in a Community-Driven Knowledge Environment

Abstract

Given the prevalence of community-driven knowledge sites (CKSs), such as Naver Knowledge In and Yahoo! Answers, it has become important to understand the key drivers of user decision-making processes. In the online environment, building and maintaining user trust belief is a significant challenge to the continuing growth and long-term viability of information systems (IS), due to the open nature of the Internet. This study develops a theoretical framework to examine the role of trust belief in the CKS post-adoption phenomenon. This study also presents an investigation of the key antecedents of trust belief to understand the mechanism of building user trust belief in a CKS. Based on the multidimensional trust formation model, this study posits user satisfaction, perceived reputation, disposition to trust, and information quality as the trust belief antecedents. Data collected from 258 users who have direct experiences with Naver Knowledge In was used to test the research model using structural equation modeling. This study preliminarily confirms the salience of user trust belief in the CKS post-adoption phenomenon. The findings also indicate that the cognitive-based, affective-based, and personality-oriented trust antecedents play a significant role in enhancing trust belief in a CKS. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are described.