Determinants of Public Trust in Digital Media: A Systematic Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59413/ajocs/v7.i5.10Keywords:
Digital media trust, Source credibility, Digital literacy, Misinformation, Systematic review, Conceptual framework, Sub Saharan AfricaAbstract
Background: Public trust in digital media has emerged as a critical challenge in the contemporary information landscape, considering its potential implications for democratic participation, civic behavior, and information integrity. Although digital media use has increased significantly worldwide, the key determinants of audience trust in digital platforms have not been sufficiently theorized or empirically investigated, especially in African contexts.
Methods: This study presents a systematic literature review guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards. A structured search of peer-reviewed databases (African Journals Online, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus) was performed using predefined search strings. Studies published between 2013 and 2024 were considered, and after applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria, 52 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and institutional reports were selected for thematic synthesis.
Findings: The review identifies five principal determinants of public trust in digital media: (1) source credibility and institutional transparency, (2) digital literacy and media competence, (3) exposure to misinformation and disinformation, (4) platform design and algorithmic characteristics, and (5) socio-demographic and contextual factors. The synthesis reveals that trust formation is a dynamic, multi-layered process determined by individual competencies, platform characteristics and socio-political settings.
Conclusions: Building on the synthesized evidence, this study proposes an integrative Audience Trust in Digital Media (ATDM) conceptual framework that integrates the interaction of the determinants and positions trust as a socially constructed and contextually contingent outcome. The framework provides a basis for future empirical work, especially in Africa and other developing countries.
Downloads
References
Banda, F. (2021). Digital journalism and media ethics in Africa: Navigating new frontiers of practice and accountability. African Journalism Studies, 42(3), 1–18.
d'Ancona, M. (2017). Post-Truth: The New War on Truth and How to Fight Back. London: Ebury Press.
Gondwe, G. (2024). Audience perception of fake news in Zambia: Examining the relationship between media literacy and news believability. International Communication Research, 47. Available at: https://scholar.harvard.edu/sites/scholar.harvard.edu/files/ggondwezunda/files/audience_perception_of_fake_news2.pdf [Accessed 28 October 2025].
Guess, A. M., Nagler, J., and Tucker, J. A. (2021). The consequences of online misinformation exposure: Evidence from Facebook and Twitter. Political Communication, 38(3), 1–23.
Hong, Q. N., Fàbregues, S., Bartlett, G., Boardman, F., Cargo, M., Dagenais, P., Gagnon, M. P., Griffiths, F., Nicolau, B., O'Cathain, A., Rousseau, M. C., Vedel, I., and Pluye, P. (2018). The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) version 2018 for information professionals and researchers. Education for Information, 34(4), 285–291. https://doi.org/10.3233/EFI-180221
Hovland, C. I., Janis, I. L., and Kelley, H. H. (1953). Communication and Persuasion: Psychological Studies of Opinion Change. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Humprecht, E., Castro Herrero, L., Blassnig, S., Brüggemann, M., and Engesser, S. (2022). Media systems in the digital age: An empirical comparison of 30 countries. Journal of Communication, 72(2), 145–164.
Kohring, M., & Matthes, J. (2007). Trust in news media: Development and validation of a multidimensional scale. Communication Research, 34(2), 231–252. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650206298071
Lindgren, E., Lindholm, T., Vliegenthart, R., Boomgaarden, H. G., Damstra, A., Strömbäck, J., and Tsfati, Y. (2024). Trusting the facts: The role of framing, news media as a (trusted) source, and opinion resonance in perceived truth in statistical statements. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 101(4), 981–1004. https://doi.org/10.1177/10776990221117117
Mabweazara, H. M. (2021). Towards reimagining the 'digital divide': Impediments and circumnavigation practices in the appropriation of the mobile phone by African journalists. Information, Communication and Society, 24(3), 344–364. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2020.1834602
Manchishi, K., Pindayi, B., and Mambwe, E. (2023). Financial sustainability of social media-driven publications in Zambia. In New Journalism Ecologies in East and Southern Africa (pp. 207–223). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23625-9_12
Masavah, V. M., and Turpin, M. (2024). Fake news in developing countries: Drivers, mechanisms, and consequences. In the International Conference on Implications of Information and Digital Technologies for Development (pp. 127–142). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-66986-6_10
Meier K. (2023). Transparency in journalism: A systematic review of the literature. Journalism Practice, 17(5), 993–1011. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2021.1984956
Molina, M. D., Sundar, S. S., Le, T., and Lee, D. (2021). "Fake news" is not simply false information: A concept explication and taxonomy of online content. American Behavioral Scientist, 65(2), 180–212. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764219878224
Newman N., Fletcher R., Robertson C. T., Eddy, K., and Nielsen, R. K. (2023). Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023 (https://www. digitalnewsreport. org/). Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
Page, M. J., & McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., et al. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Pennycook, G., and Rand, D. G. (2019). Fighting misinformation on social media using crowdsourced judgments of news source quality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(7), 2521–2526. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1806781116
Petty, R. E., and Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 19, 123–205.
Roozenbeek, J., Schneider, C. R., Dryhurst, S., Kerr, J., Freeman, A. L. J., Recchia, G., van der Bles, A. M., and van der Linden, S. (2020). Susceptibility to misinformation about COVID-19 across 26 countries. Royal Society Open Science, 7(10), 201199. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.201199
Sundar, S. S. (2008). The MAIN model: A heuristic approach to understanding technology effects on credibility. In M. J. Metzger and A. J. Flanagin (Eds.) Digital Media, Youth, and Credibility (pp. 73–100). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Tandoc Jr., E. C. (2019). The facts of fake news: A research review. Sociology Compass, 13(9), e12724. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12724
Thomas, J., and Harden, A. (2008). Methods for thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 8(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-8-45
Tranfield, D., Denyer, D., Smart, P. (2003). Towards a methodology for developing evidence-informed management knowledge by means of systematic review. British Journal of Management, 14(3), 207–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.00375
Trilling, D., Van Klingeren, M., and Tsfati, Y. (2017). Selective exposure, political polarization, and possible mediators: Evidence from the Netherlands. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 29(2), 189–213. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/edw003
Wardle, C., & Derakhshan, H. (2017). Information disorder: Toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policymaking. Strasbourg: Council of Europe. https://rm.coe.int/information-disorder-report/1680764666
Wasserman, H., and Madrid-Morales, D. (2020). Credibility in the African context. Journalism Practice, 14(10): 1265–1279.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2020). Infodemic management: Infodemics. Geneva: WHO. https://www.who.int/health-topics/infodemic.int/health-topics/infodemic
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Catherine Kalumba, Dr. Mwaka Siluonde, Dr. Choolwe Mwiiya (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
