The effects of cognitive and affective processes on interpersonal trust formation: A case study of Facebook buy, sell, and trade groups among KTÜ students

One of the main reasons consumers and companies are reluctant to engage in e-commerce is a lack of trust. The concept of trust is expected to emerge and make sense only in risky situations. Just like any trade situation, encountering risks in buying and selling on Facebook is inevitable. Furthermore, the fact that Facebook, as a trading platform, does not provide traditional e-commerce assurances increases the trade risk encountered. Therefore, trust and trust formation are essential for successfully conducting any trade on Facebook. This study aims to explain the effects of cognitive and affective information processing in the formation of interpersonal trust on Facebook Buy, Sell & Trade groups. A conceptual framework is developed based on prior related literature. The developed conceptual framework explores the relationship among cognitive processing (categorization: unit grouping, message stereotyping - illusion of control: choice and personal involvement, need for the outcome, token control effort), affective processing (mood misattribution), and trust-related behaviors (purchase, cooperation, co-opetition, information sharing). Data was collected from 196 students of Karadeniz Technical University using an online questionnaire and convenience sampling. A structural model was empirically tested in order to examine the research hypotheses. A measurement model was developed to assess the reliability and validity of the collected data, and this was evaluated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The research hypotheses were then tested using structural equation modeling. According to the research findings, it has been observed that cognitive information processing has a positive effect on trust-related behavior, whereas no significant effect of affective information processing on trust-related behavior has been detected.