The Role of Trustworthiness Facets for Developing Social Media Applications: A Structured Literature Review

Abstract

This work reviews existing research about attributes, which are assessed by individuals to evaluate the trustworthiness of (i) software applications, (ii) organizations (e.g., service providers), and (iii) other individuals. As these parties are part of social media services, previous research has identified the need for users to assess their trustworthiness. Based on the trustworthiness assessment, users decide whether they want to interact with them and whether such interactions appear safe. The literature review encompasses 264 works from which so-called trustworthiness facets of 100 papers could be identified. In addition to an overview of trustworthiness facets, this work further introduces a guideline for software engineers on how to select appropriate trustworthiness facets during the analysis of the problem space for the development of specific social media applications. It is exemplified by the problem of “catfishing” in online dating.

“Someone Else Is Behind The Screen”: Visibility, Privacy, and Trust on Geosocial Networking Apps in India

“…Just as users are worried about what to put in their own profiles, they must also try to discern if other profiles on the app are genuine. Developing trust on GSNAs with someone you haven’t met can be difficult given concerns about deceptive or fake profiles, or being “catfished” (Borchert & Heisel, 2022; Ellison et al, 2012; Fitzpatrick & Birnholtz, 2018; Gibbs et al, 2011; Lauckner et al, 2019; Toma et al, 2008; Toma & Hancock, 2012). Scholars often draw on uncertainty reduction theory in looking at how a person gathers information to learn more about someone and predict how they might act (Berger, 1979; Gibbs et al, 2011).…”