USING COUCHSURFING.COM AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH GENERALIZED TRUST

Trust is necessary for the functioning of Couchsurfing.com service. Without a certain degree of trust, the users would not let other Couchsurfing members into their homes, yet the trust has to form prior to any face-to-face interaction. This article explores the concept of trust in Couchsurfing through a quantitative survey of its users, looking into the connection between an individual's experience on the network and generalized trust. The positive association between Couchsurfing use and individual generalized trust is established, while negative experiences in the network are found to have significant negative impact on one's level of trust.