Trust and Closeness: A Mixed Method for Understanding the Relationship of Social Network Users

Authors

Lei Yang, Shandong University of Science and TechnologyFollow
Xue Wang, Shandong University of Science and TechnologyFollow
Margaret Meiling Meiling Luo, National Chung Cheng UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Mutual trust among social networks users encourages positive communications, so it is critical to study trust in the context of online social networks. In this study, we built a model to calculate trust of social media users. Data was collected from Qzone (Tencent Technology Co., Ltd.), a SN service (also known as QQ) in China. We identified 150 QQ users and 3 friends from each of the users; data of these users were collected by Python program. The relationship between trust and closeness was constructed using an ordinary least squares regression model, and the factors that influence trust between social network users were constructed using an endogenous switching regression model. We also conducted a two-stage least squares robustness analysis to confirm the results. We found that user trust and closeness are positively correlated. A user’s trust is positively related to three closeness indicators: comments, @s to QQ friends (a reminder nudge for attention), and messages. Increasing closeness in social networks has a positive effect on trust formation.

Recommended Citation

Yang, Lei; Wang, Xue; and Luo, Margaret Meiling Meiling (2021) "Trust and Closeness: A Mixed Method for Understanding the Relationship of Social Network Users," Journal of International Technology and Information Management: Vol. 30: Iss. 1, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58729/1941-6679.1490
Available at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/jitim/vol30/iss1/4