Izvorni znanstveni članak

https://doi.org/10.59245/ps.35.3.2

Digital Literacy as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Echo Chambers and Trust in Security Communication

Marija Gombar orcid.org/0009-0000-8621-4007 ; Glavni stožer Oružanih snaga Republike Hrvatske

Sažetak

In an algorithmically shaped digital environment, trust in security institutions increasingly depends on how users perceive digital information flows and assess their own competencies for navigating them. This paper examines the relationship between perceptions of echo chambers and trust in digital sources of security information, with self-assessed digital literacy considered a possible moderator of that relationship. The study was conducted with a sample of 412 digitally active citizens in the Republic
of Croatia, using a structured questionnaire and PLS-SEM-based data analysis. The results indicate a statistically significant negative relationship between the perception of echo chambers and trust in digital sources of security information (B = –0.1194; p = 0.015), while the moderation model also identified a significant interaction effect of digital literacy (B = 0.1046; p = 0.038), suggesting that the negative relationship between the perception of echo chambers and trust is weaker at higher levels of digital
literacy. The findings should be interpreted within the limits of the self-assessed nature of the data and the characteristics of the sample. The contribution of the paper lies in linking the perception of echo chambers, self-assessed digital literacy, and trust in digital sources of security information within the framework of security communication.

Ključne riječi

digital literacy; perception of echo chambers; trust; secure communication; digital information sources; moderation effect

Hrčak ID:

350959

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/350959

Datum izdavanja:

21.9.2026.

Podaci na drugim jezicima: hrvatski

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