INFORMATIONAL TRUST AND GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES
A STUDY ON SEARCH BEHAVIOR IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Keywords:
digital information environment, trust, generations, information seeking behaviorAbstract
The exponential growth of online information has intensified the challenges of assessing source reliability, demanding a deeper understanding of the user's role in evaluating informational trust. This article, essayistic in nature with a qualitative approach, discusses the concept of trust and its variations based on the contributions of Marsh and Dibben (2003), particularly the notions of mistrust, untrust, and distrust. Trust, as a central, multidimensional concept sensitive to social, political, and cultural contexts, has sparked growing academic interest—especially in light of the global decline in institutional credibility. The study emphasizes generational differences as a relevant factor in informational evaluation behavior. Individuals from the same generation tend to share similar information-seeking patterns: older generations prioritize established brands and well-known journalists, while younger generations value transparency and fact-checking. The analysis of Generations X, Y, and Z, in this regard, contributes to understanding the different judgment criteria and the diverse ways users interact with the digital information environment. The findings of this study do not aim to close the debate but rather to suggest paths for future research on trust, misinformation, and informational behavior within the field of Information Science.
References
AMERICAN PRESS INSTITUTE. Lose trust, lose audience: why Americans turn away from news, and how to get them back. [S. l.]: American Press Institute, 2016. Disponível em: https://americanpressinstitute.org/publications/reports/survey-research/lose-trust/. Acesso em: 12 fev. 2024.
BOYD, Danah. Did media literacy backfire? Data & Society: Points, [s. l.], 5 jan. 2017. Disponível em: https://points.datasociety.net/did-media-literacy-backfire-7418c084d88d. Acesso em: 14 jul. 2021.
BRENAN, Megan. Trust in media at new low of 28% in U.S. Washington, DC: Gallup, 2025. Disponível em: https://news.gallup.com/poll/695762/trust-media-new-low.aspx. Acesso em: 5 maio 2026.
CASTELLS, Manuel. O poder da comunicação. Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 2013.
DIMOCK, Michael. Defining generations: where Millennials end and Generation Z begins. Pew Research Center, Washington, DC, 17 jan. 2019. Disponível em: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/. Acesso em: 5 mar. 2024.
DORSEY, Jason; VILLA, Denise. Zconomy: how Gen Z will change the future of business and what to do about it. New York: Harper Business, 2020.
EL-BERMAWY, Mostafa M. Your filter bubble is destroying democracy. Wired, New York, 18 nov. 2016. Disponível em: https://www.wired.com/2016/11/filter-bubble-destroying-democracy/. Acesso em: 22 jun. 2021.
FUKUYAMA, Francis. Trust: the social virtues and the creation of prosperity. New York: Free Press, 1995.
GRAAN, Andrew; HODGES, Adam; STALCUP, Meg. Fake news and anthropology: a conversation on technology, trust, and publics in an age of mass disinformation. PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review, [s. l.], 16 fev. 2020. Disponível em: https://polarjournal.org/2020/02/16/anthropology-and-fake-news-a-conversation-on-technology-trust-and-publics-in-an-age-of-mass-disinformation/. Acesso em: 21 jul. 2021.
GURRI, Martin. The revolt of the public and the crisis of authority in the new millennium. San Francisco: Stripe Press, 2018.
HAZARD OWEN, Laura. Young people think it’s “very important” for news organizations to link out to their facts and research. Older people don’t care as much. Nieman Lab, [s. l.], 21 set. 2021. Disponível em: https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/09/young-people-think-its-very-important-for-news-organizations-to-link-out-older-people-dont-care-as-much/. Acesso em: 12 fev. 2024.
HERRANDO, Carolina; JIMÉNEZ-MARTÍNEZ, Julio; MARTÍN-DE HOYOS, María José. Tell me your age and I tell you what you trust: the moderating effect of generations. Internet Research, Bingley, v. 29, n. 4, p. 799-817, 2019. Disponível em: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IntR-03-2017-0135/full/html. Acesso em: 26 fev. 2024.
IBRAHIM, Nor Hanisah; ALLEN, David. Information sharing and trust during major incidents: findings from the oil industry. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Hoboken, v. 63, n. 10, p. 1916-1928, out. 2012. Disponível em: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/asi.22676. Acesso em: 4 jul. 2021.
INFOBASE. Indicador de Confiança Digital 2019: veja o que o brasileiro pensa sobre a tecnologia. Rio de Janeiro: Infobase, [2019]. Disponível em: https://infobase.com.br/infografico-indicador-de-confianca-digital-2019-veja-brasileiro-pensa-sobre-tecnologia/. Acesso em: 30 mar. 2020.
INGLEHART, Ronald. The silent revolution: changing values and political styles among Western publics. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2015.
LI, Tianyuan; FUNG, Helene H. Age differences in trust: an investigation across 38 countries. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Oxford, v. 68, n. 3, p. 347-355, 2013. Disponível em: https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/68/3/347/557981?login=false. Acesso em: 18 fev. 2024.
LUKAS, Marcel; NÖTH, Markus. Trust, trustworthiness, and age: experimental evidence. Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik, Berlin, v. 241, n. 4, p. 419-436, 2021. Disponível em: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/jbnst-2020-0012/html. Acesso em: 18 fev. 2024.
MARSH, Stephen; DIBBEN, Mark R. The role of trust in information science and technology. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, Medford, v. 37, n. 1, p. 465-498, 2003. Disponível em: https://asistdl.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/aris.1440370111. Acesso em: 6 jul. 2021.
MARSH, Stephen; DIBBEN, Mark R. Trust, untrust, distrust and mistrust: an exploration of the dark(er) side. In: HERRMANN, Peter; ISSARNY, Valérie; SHIU, Simon (ed.). iTrust. Heidelberg: Springer, 2005. p. 17-33. Disponível em: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/11429760_2. Acesso em: 5 jul. 2021.
MENEGHETTI, Francis Kanashiro. O que é um ensaio-teórico? Revista de Administração Contemporânea, Curitiba, v. 15, n. 2, p. 320-332, 2011. Disponível em: https://www.scielo.br/j/rac/a/4mNCY5D6rmRDPWXtrQQMyGN/. Acesso em: 7 abr. 2025.
NEAL, Tess; SHOCKLEY, Ellie; SCHILKE, Oliver. The dark side of institutional trust. In: SHOCKLEY, Ellie; NEAL, Tess; BORNSTEIN, Brian; PYTLIK ZILLIG, Lisa (ed.). Interdisciplinary perspectives on trust: towards theoretical and methodological integration. Cham: Springer, 2016. p. 177-191. Disponível em: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-22261-5_10. Acesso em: 14 abr. 2025.
NEWMAN, Nic; FLETCHER, Richard; EDDY, Kirsten; ROBERTSON, Craig T. et al. Digital news report 2023. Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 2023. Disponível em: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2023-06/Digital_News_Report_2023.pdf. Acesso em: 10 jun. 2024.
NYHAN, Brendan; REIFLER, Jason. Misinformation and fact-checking: research findings from social science. Washington, DC: New America Foundation, 2012. (Media Policy Initiative Research Paper). Disponível em: https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.dartmouth.edu/dist/5/2293/files/2021/03/Misinformation_and_Fact-checking.pdf. Acesso em: 14 jul. 2021.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER. Declining trust in national institutions. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, 2024. Disponível em: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/04/08/declining-trust-in-national-institutions/. Acesso em: 10 abr. 2025.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER. Public trust in government: 1958-2014. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, 2014. Disponível em: http://www.people-press.org/2014/11/13/public-trust-in-government. Acesso em: 15 abr. 2025.
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM. Digital news report 2025. Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 2025. Disponível em: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2025-06/Digital_News-Report_2025.pdf. Acesso em: 8 maio 2026.
RUSSMANN, Uta; HESS, Axel. News consumption and trust in online and social media: an in-depth qualitative study of young adults in Austria. International Journal of Communication, [s. l.], v. 14, p. 3184-3201, 2020. Disponível em: https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/13774. Acesso em: 13 fev. 2024.
SALESFORCE. Relatório sobre gerações e uso de inteligência artificial na sociedade. [S. l.]: Salesforce, ago. 2023. Disponível em: https://www.salesforce.com/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/09/ResGenAI_AISociety_OnePager-1.pdf. Acesso em: 5 mar. 2024.
SILVERMAN, Craig; SINGER-VINE, Jeremy. Most Americans who see fake news believe it, new survey says. BuzzFeed News, New York, 6 dez. 2016. Disponível em: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/fake-news-survey. Acesso em: 20 ago. 2020.
STRAUSS, William; HOWE, Neil. Generations: the history of America’s future, 1584 to 2069. New York: HarperCollins, 1992.
SULLIVAN, Margaret C. Why librarians can’t fight fake news. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, London, v. 51, n. 4, p. 1146-1156, 2019. Disponível em: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0961000618764258?journalCode=lisb. Acesso em: 8 jul. 2021.
SUTTER, Matthias; KOCHER, Martin G. Trust and trustworthiness across different age groups. Games and Economic Behavior, Amsterdam, v. 59, n. 2, p. 364-382, 2007. Disponível em: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0899825606001199. Acesso em: 18 fev. 2024.
TANG, Jiliang; HU, Xia; LIU, Huan. Is distrust the negation of trust? The value of distrust in social media. In: ACM CONFERENCE ON HYPERTEXT AND SOCIAL MEDIA, 25., 2014, Santiago. Anais [...]. New York: Association for Computing Machinery, 2014. p. 148-157. Disponível em: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2631775.2631793. Acesso em: 1 jul. 2021.
TROTSUK, Irina. “To trust or not to trust” is not the question; “how to study trust” is a much more challenging task. Monitoring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes Journal, [s. l.], n. 1, p. 121-139, 2016. Disponível em: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312295939_To_Trust_or_Not_to_Trust_Is_Not_the_Question_How_to_Study_Trust_Is_Much_More_Challenging_Task. Acesso em: 14 abr. 2025.
TWENGE, Jean M. Generation me: why today’s young Americans are more confident, assertive, entitled and more miserable than ever before. [S. l.]: Tantor Media, 2017.
WARDLE, Claire; DERAKHSHAN, Hossein. Information disorder: toward an interdisciplinary framework for research and policy making. Cambridge: Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, 31 out. 2017. Disponível em: https://shorensteincenter.org/information-disorder-framework-for-research-and-policymaking/. Acesso em: 3 jan. 2021.
WOHLIN, Claes. Guidelines for snowballing in systematic literature studies and a replication in software engineering. In: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, 18., 2014, Nova York. Anais [...]. New York: ACM, 2014. p. 1-10. Disponível em: https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/2601248.2601268. Acesso em: 20 fev. 2025.
ZIMDARS, Melissa. My ‘fake news list’ went viral: but made-up stories are only part of the problem. The Washington Post, Washington, DC, 18 nov. 2016. PostEverything. Disponível em: https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/11/18/my-fake-news-list-went-viral-but-made-up-stories-are-only-part-of-the-problem/. Acesso em: 10 fev. 2020.