Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.5613/rzs.55.2.2
The Paradox of Trust in Digital Platforms: Algorithmic Awareness in Digital Interactions
Marija Gombar
; General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between digital literacy, perceived manipulation, risk perception, and algorithmic awareness in shaping users’ trust in the security strategies of digital platforms. The theoretical framework is grounded in the concept of the paradox of algorithmic awareness, according to which greater knowledge of digital systems does not necessarily lead to higher trust, but may instead intensify scepticism and sensitivity to risk. The study was conducted on a sample of 523 participants aged 18 to 35, and the data were analysed using factor analysis, multiple and hierarchical regression analysis, analysis of variance, and structural equation modelling. The findings show that digital literacy, perceived manipulation, and risk perception are statistically significant negative predictors of trust in platform security strategies, with perceived manipulation emerging as the strongest negative predictor. A statistically significant moderating effect of risk perception on the relationship between algorithmic awareness and trust was also confirmed. In addition, significant differences were found by gender and level of digital literacy, with more digitally literate users expressing greater scepticism and female participants showing greater sensitivity to security risks. The main contribution of the paper lies in a model that explains trust in digital platforms as the outcome of the interplay between knowledge, perceived manipulation, and risk assessment, rather than as an automatic consequence of digital competence. The findings point to the need for approaches to digital security that simultaneously strengthen transparency, user autonomy, and critical understanding of algorithmic processes.
Keywords
algorithmic awareness; digital literacy; digital security,; trust in digital platforms; risk perception
Hrčak ID:
347048
URI
Publication date:
31.8.2025.
Visits: 0 *