Conceptualizing Trust in Cartography

Abstract

Perhaps one of the most popular longstanding assertions in cartography is that people trust maps. Yet, researchers have largely failed to investigate this assertion. Do people indeed trust maps more than other kinds of information? If so, why? Moreover, what does trust mean in the context of cartography? My research offers answers to these questions and starting points for expanding the conversation about trust in maps. First, I synthesize the arguments of researchers as to why maps may be inherently trustworthy. I then buttress these arguments by linking them to theoretical frameworks regarding trust and credibility in psychology literature. Specifically, I isolate characteristics of maps that may lend to their trustworthiness according to psychological theories. Finally, I perform a concept explication on trust in maps by distilling trust into its most essential meaning and proposing a definition that taps into key components of trust in maps.