The Potential of Digital: Optimising Trustworthy Digital Contact (PODTRUST)

Lead-PI: Katharine Dommett, University of Sheffield

Consortium: Elizabeth Dubois, University of Ottawa; Damian Guzek, University of Silesia, Katowice; Karolina Koc-Michalska, Audencia Business School; James Weinberg, University of Sheffield.

Funders: ANR, NCN, SSHRC, UKRI

 

Summary:

High trust interactions between citizens and political actors such as politicians, government officials, and journalists, enable collective action, inspire participation and ensure adherence to political rules and norms. Yet these bonds are subject to challenge and increasingly frayed. This project is exploring whether and under what conditions digital communication can strengthen or erode trust – specifically looking at communication via email, social media, chatbots, social media influencers, and AI-generated synthetic media. The project expects minority communities will have different expectations for communication with political actors and will examine how women, ethnic minorities and diaspora communities respond to alternative forms of contact.