Internet Security Aesthetics: Can internet transparency afford social trust?

Abstract

The internet has made everything convenient. Through the world wide web it has almost single-handily transformed the way we live our lives. In doing so, we have become so fuelled by cravings for fast and cheap web connections that we find it difficult to take in the bigger picture. It is widely documented that we need a safer and more trusting internet, but few know or agree on what this actually means. This paper introduces a new body of research that explores whether there needs to be a fundamental shift in how we design and deliver these online spaces. In detail, the authors suggest the need for an internet security aesthetic that opens up the internet (from end to end) to fully support the people that are using it. Going forward, this research highlights that social trust needs to be a key concern in defining the future value of the internet.