Overcoming Hurdles to Trust: Infomediaries and Public Records

Abstract

This chapter discusses paradoxes, which have arisen in response to society’s dependence on the Internet and the new business models that attempt to resolve the contradictions. The authors present a Trust Model illustrating a series of hurdles that must be overcome in order for an individual or an organization to exhibit trust, i.e., risk-taking behavior. The Chapter addresses the formation of new information providers, “infomediaries,” which can inform risk-taking behavior in computer-mediated relationships.