INSTITUTIONAL, INTERPERSONAL, AND ALGORITHMIC TRUST IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITALIZATION: IMPACT ON THE CREATIVE ECONOMY OF KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

The article examines the phenomenon of hybrid trust in the context of Kazakhstan’s digitalization and its implications for the development of the creative economy. The study addresses institutional, interpersonal, and algorithmic dimensions of trust emerging in citizens’ interactions with e-government, digital services, and artificial intelligence systems. The methodological framework combines the analysis of international indices and surveys (OECD, UNESCO, KPMG, Freedom House, World Values Survey) with original empirical material, including expert in-depth interviews, experimental interviews with chatbots, and case analysis of digital fraud in Kazakhstan in 2024–2025. The findings indicate a discrepancy between the widespread use of digital services and more restrained levels of institutional and algorithmic trust. The analysis suggests that trust in the digital environment can be understood as the outcome of interaction among institutional, interpersonal, and algorithmic factors.

In this study, hybrid trust is understood as a specific type of trust emerging from social interaction that is simultaneously mediated by institutions, digital platforms, and algorithms. This form of trust characterizes the user's attitude toward the entire "human–digital intermediary–state institution" interaction chain. The proposed concept of trust is significant for analyzing contemporary digital society.