Exploring Entrepreneurs' Trust in Mobile Social Networking Services

In information technology (IT) research, the concept of trust has been a critical characteristic of user behavior. In addition, previous studies on online social networking have discussed usefulness, ease of use, social influence, privacy concerns, and risk as the major determinants of trust. With regard to trends in online ventures, few studies have focused on entrepreneurs' trust within the contexts of social networking services (SNSs). By building on recent research on trust in information systems (IS) related to SNSs, the present study examines Facebook and evaluates its influence on online entrepreneurs' trust. This study also advances a model regarding the performance expectancy of mobile Facebook Mentions (PEMFM), effort expectancy of mobile Facebook Mentions (EEMFM), social interaction (SI), privacy concerns on Facebook (PCF), perceived risk of online social activities (PROSA), and online entrepreneurs' trust in Facebook (OETF) by conducting interviews with domain experts. The findings indicate that PEMFM, EEMFM, SI, and PROSA determine online entrepreneurs' trust. Moreover, the results show that SI plays an important moderating role among PEMFM, EEMFM, and OETF.