Abstract
Blockchain is promoted as a “trustless” system that replaces trusted intermediaries with cryptographic verification and distributed consensus (Nakamoto, 2008; Zheng et al., 2018). Yet public adoption remains limited, largely confined to high-visibility cryptocurrency use cases (Lichti & Tumasjan, 2023; Utz et al., 2022). This gap between technical promise and consumer hesitation motivates this study. We define the trust paradox: even if blockchain reduces dependence on institutions such as banks or registries, adoption still hinges on users’ trust in the technology, its governance, and its surrounding ecosystem (Gefen et al., 2003; Hawlitschek et al., 2018). Thus, blockchain shifts trust rather than removing it. Understanding why some users trust blockchain while others resist is essential for explaining adoption and shaping interventions (Utz et al., 2022). This study examines trust as a psychological mechanism linking personality predispositions to blockchain adoption, focusing on cryptocurrencies as the dominant adoption context (Lichti & Tumasjan, 2023).
Recommended Citation
Nelke, Sofia Amador; Ben-Avraham, Hadas Tamam; and Shani-Feinsteiny, Yael, "The Trust Paradox in Blockchain Adoption" (2025). Proceedings of the 2025 Pre-ICIS SIGDSA Symposium. 60.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/sigdsa2025/60