Kepercayaan Antarbudaya di Era Geo-Sibernetik

Praktik Komunikasi Digital Asisten Virtual Indonesia

Abstract

In the geo-cybernetic era, cross-cultural digital interactions form the foundation of trust building in remote professional collaboration. Virtual assistants serving international clients through digital platforms represent complex intercultural communication practices. Differences in context, communication styles, and expectations may trigger miscommunication and erode trust. This study aims to examine how virtual assistants construct intercultural trust in professional communication practices with international clients. It is grounded in Hall's high-context versus low-context culture theory, Hofstede's cultural dimensions, Spitzberg and Changnon's intercultural communication competence, Ting-Toomey's Face-Negotiation Theory, and the contemporary digital trust framework. This research employs a constructivist paradigm, qualitative approach, and descriptive analysis method. Data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews with five experienced Indonesian virtual assistants, and document analysis. Data were thematically analyzed to identify communication strategies, adaptation mechanisms, and the role of platform transparency in trust formation. Intercoder reliability was established using two independent coders, yielding Cohen's Kappa κ = 0.98, Krippendorff's Alpha α = 0.98, and Percentage Agreement = 98.7%. The results indicate that higher levels of cultural intelligence, the ability to maintain clients' face, the use of context-sensitive phrasing, explicit clarification routines, and the selection of appropriate communication media enhance communication effectiveness and trust perception. Platform attributes moderate this relationship by reinforcing trust. These findings are consistent with Hall's framework and contemporary digital trust models emphasizing system transparency and reliability.