This 12 month funded research grant explores young adults’ attitudes towards information, advice and support found on the internet internet to further develop a staged model of trust. The model will help us understand what factors influence, persuade and predict belief and intention to act on the information. Specifically we seek to (a) document where young adults go for the ‘truth’ about their world; (b) model how young adults determine whether to trust web information; and (c) understand how the social internet influences opinion formation in young adults.
The methods and approaches used in this project have been successfully applied to other ESRC grants held by Little and Sillence, for example: The use of focus groups has been used extensively within an ambient intelligence and e-health context to examine both general and specific attitudes towards future technology and health websites. Relevant grants: ESRC ‘Bodies Online’. Relevant and Privacy, Trust and Identity Permissions for Ambient Intelligence.