Algorithmic Awareness and Digital Responsibility: The Role of Platform Trust and Digital Literacy

Abstract Background The algorithmic structuring of digital platforms increasingly shapes how users perceive risk, build trust, and engage with automated systems. These dynamics are especially relevant for younger users navigating opaque decision-making environments, where automation affects behavioural alignment and perceived control. Objectives This study investigates the influence of algorithmic awareness, digital literacy, perceived risk, and platform trust on users’ sense of digital responsibility and automated behavioural responses. A research model is developed to examine how cognitive sensitivity and platform trust interact to shape user compliance in algorithmic environments. Methods/Approach The study was conducted with a sample of 508 Croatian digital users and used the Digital Engagement and Awareness Scale (DEAS), an instrument developed for this study and subjected to preliminary validation through pilot testing and subsequent measurement-model assessment. The data were analysed using PLS-SEM to examine direct relationships among constructs. Results Algorithmic awareness increased perceived risk and reduced platform trust. Digital literacy significantly reduced algorithmic subjection, and platform trust also showed a negative association with it. Platform trust demonstrated a weak mediating role in explaining automated behavioural compliance. Conclusions This study contributes a multidimensional framework of digital responsibility that integrates cognitive and affective user factors. The findings provide empirical insights relevant for ethical platform design, algorithmic governance, and user engagement in complex digital systems.