The Crisis of Digital Trust in the Asia-Pacific

Abstract

Evidence of a crisis of institutional trust is pervasive and, contrary to theories around “Asian values” and Confucian “harmonious societies,” it characterizes nations of the Asia-Pacific region. The challenges of rebuilding trust are connected to better understanding this multidimensional concept, particularly as it manifests itself through digital media platforms. There are also considerable challenges facing attempts to govern digital platforms through existing laws and regulations. An important challenge — and opportunity — for communication researchers arises from the ways in which social media and digital platforms “crash merge” interpersonal and society-wide communications, in the context of regional differences and the changing political economy of digital media.

Keywords: trust; digital platforms; governance; algorithms; fake news; digital media regulation; media policy

JEL Classification: L38; L44; L51; L82; O33; O35