Blockchain and Trust in the Platform Economy: The Case of Peer-to-Peer Sharing

Abstract

Blockchain technology is an innovation of the 21st century that is supposed to act as a trust-building factor and may provide the foundation for trust-free systems as well as market exchanges. We investigate how the trustrelated properties of blockchain technology influence trust relationships of participants in the platform economy. Building on the pilot study of Hawlitschek [1], we conduct a scenario-based online survey with participants taking the role of a customer on a blockchain-based peer-to-peer rental platform. Our results confirm that while trust in peers and shared products have no overall significant effect on rental intentions, trust in blockchain technology and the community of blockchain users drive rental intentions mediated by trust in the blockchain-based platform. Our study sheds light on how established trust relationships shift from a peer and product focus towards trust in platforms and their underlying technology.