Communicating digital responsibility: How trust signals shape consumer responses in tourism platforms

Abstract

Objective: In digital tourism environments, organizations must communicate trustworthiness under conditions of data vulnerability and limited face-to-face interaction. This study conceptualizes Digital Corporate Social Responsibility (DCSR) as a communication-based trust signal and examines how it shapes digital trust, corporate reputation, and consumer responses, while accounting for the moderating role of perceived data breach risk. Methods: Data were collected through an online survey of 437 domestic and international tourists who interacted with digital platforms of tourism companies in Serbia. Structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to examine the relationships among DCSR, digital trust, corporate reputation, and consumer behavioral responses (loyalty, advocacy, and willingness to share personal data). Moderation analysis was conducted to assess the role of perceived data breach risk, and conjoint analysis was used to identify the relative importance of specific DCSR communication practices. Results: The findings indicate that DCSR functions as a significant communication signal, are positively associated with digital trust, corporate reputation, and consumer responses. However, the perceived risk of sensitive data breaches substantially weakens these effects, suggesting that trust-building signals lose persuasive strength in high-risk digital environments. Consumers assign the highest value to communication practices directly related to transparency, cybersecurity, and control over personal data, while broader sustainability-oriented initiatives are perceived as less immediately relevant for digital trust formation. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that digital corporate social responsibility operates as a communication mechanism through which organizations signal credibility, integrity, and accountability in digital tourism settings. However, the effectiveness of these signals is conditional upon the perceived security of the communication environment. By highlighting how trust is communicatively constructed and disrupted under risk, the findings contribute to research on digital communication, signaling processes, and trust formation in data-sensitive service contexts.