TR
EN
The Impact of Digitalization on Communication: A Research on Trust in Physicians and E-Health Literacy
Abstract
Individuals' tendency to use digital platforms to obtain health-related information is one of the topics examined within the context of the e-health literacy literature. In this study, the focus is on whether the epistemological discussions on the negative effects of digitalization on communication exist on an ontological basis by considering the phenomena of e-health literacy and trust in physicians. For this purpose, it is attempted to reveal how e-health literacy brought about by digitalization affects trust. The Path Analysis model, which analyzes direct effects, was used in the study. In addition, a structural equation model was established to see whether demographic variables have a moderating role in the effect of e-health literacy on trust in physicians, and a moderation analysis was performed. A total of 349 participants were reached, and the obtained data were analyzed with the help of SPSS and AMOS software. The findings obtained in the study show that e-health literacy negatively affects trust in doctors (β = -0.43, p < 0.001), and that generation, education level, and problems experienced with doctors have a moderating effect on the effect of e-health literacy on trust in doctors (p < 0.05). The findings prove that while digitalization provides access to health information, it can weaken the patient-doctor relationship by reducing trust. In light of the results, it is possible to claim that epistemological discussions regarding the negative effects of digitalization on communication can also be seen ontologically.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Communication Studies, Communication Technology and Digital Media Studies, Media Literacy
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
June 23, 2025
Submission Date
October 4, 2024
Acceptance Date
April 22, 2025
Published in Issue
Year 2025 Number: 47
APA
Ünal, C., & Tüzün, S. (2025). The Impact of Digitalization on Communication: A Research on Trust in Physicians and E-Health Literacy. Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi, 47, 152-172. https://doi.org/10.17829/turcom.1561669
AMA
1.Ünal C, Tüzün S. The Impact of Digitalization on Communication: A Research on Trust in Physicians and E-Health Literacy. TURCOM. 2025;(47):152-172. doi:10.17829/turcom.1561669
Chicago
Ünal, Celil, and Sümeyra Tüzün. 2025. “The Impact of Digitalization on Communication: A Research on Trust in Physicians and E-Health Literacy”. Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi, nos. 47: 152-72. https://doi.org/10.17829/turcom.1561669.
EndNote
Ünal C, Tüzün S (June 1, 2025) The Impact of Digitalization on Communication: A Research on Trust in Physicians and E-Health Literacy. Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi 47 152–172.
IEEE
[1]C. Ünal and S. Tüzün, “The Impact of Digitalization on Communication: A Research on Trust in Physicians and E-Health Literacy”, TURCOM, no. 47, pp. 152–172, June 2025, doi: 10.17829/turcom.1561669.
ISNAD
Ünal, Celil - Tüzün, Sümeyra. “The Impact of Digitalization on Communication: A Research on Trust in Physicians and E-Health Literacy”. Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi. 47 (June 1, 2025): 152-172. https://doi.org/10.17829/turcom.1561669.
JAMA
1.Ünal C, Tüzün S. The Impact of Digitalization on Communication: A Research on Trust in Physicians and E-Health Literacy. TURCOM. 2025;:152–172.
MLA
Ünal, Celil, and Sümeyra Tüzün. “The Impact of Digitalization on Communication: A Research on Trust in Physicians and E-Health Literacy”. Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi, no. 47, June 2025, pp. 152-7, doi:10.17829/turcom.1561669.
Vancouver
1.Celil Ünal, Sümeyra Tüzün. The Impact of Digitalization on Communication: A Research on Trust in Physicians and E-Health Literacy. TURCOM. 2025 Jun. 1;(47):152-7. doi:10.17829/turcom.1561669