Lita på mig! En studie av tillit på virtual communities
The technical achievements that have occurred in recent years have led to a greater use of the Internet around the world. Today, more and more people are using virtual communities, a place where communication occurs with people who have similar interest. Due to the option of being an anonymous user, the concept of trust plays a big part in how virtual communities are working. It is therefore of interest to investigate how trust develops between users in virtual communities. This report asks the following question:"How is trust formed between users at a virtual community?"A qualitative and netnographical study was conducted to answer the question above. A selection of forum posts on the Silk Road forum was examined based on four trust factors that were developed using theories from previous researches in the topics of trust and virtual communities. This study of Silk Road showed that trust between users could develop when special factors can be found in a relationship between users. The key factors are seniority, integrity, activity and identity.Keywords: Trust, virtual communities, Silk Road