Trust in the Information Age

The frightening implication at the end of The Evolution of Trust is that the incentives created by the internet — the ease with which one can promote fraudulent products, profit from disinformation and get away with antisocial behaviour — may skew the delicate equilibrium required to operate within a trustworthy society.

Think about it. Before the internet, there were real negative social repercussions for being a total jackass and a troll. You were shunned by society and hated by all. Today, not only are you protected from the social repercussions of your trolling, but you are rewarded with attention, and in some cases, even fans.

Or think about posting disinformation. Again, before the internet, generating fake news would lead to legal action and result in your broadcast license being revoked. Today, fake news spreads faster than real news and receives more clicks, thus generating more revenue. Meanwhile, the purveyors of the disinformation aren’t able to be punished for what they’re doing. It’s too easy to muddy the waters by spamming social media and attacking legitimate experts and call them liars.

The internet has simply shifted the incentive structures — in terms of the Evolution of Trust game, it changed the point values of cooperation and cheating. And now we have to find new institutions, policies, and cultural norms to shift the equilibrium back before we spiral into a society full of distrust.

Research is showing that social trust is deteriorating worldwide has been for a long time now. People have less trust today in their governments, media outlets, and in random people on the street than ever before.

If our default strategy is “tit-for-tat,” and we are constantly exposed to the most untrustworthy actors in society via social media and the internet, then how is that going to affect our behavior going into the future?

Our social institutions rely on trust to function. A government can’t pass laws, much less enforce them, if the people don’t put their trust in the government as being legitimate. Media and educators cannot investigate and study issues if people don’t trust them to tell the truth. Businesses cannot sell products if people don’t trust them to behave ethically. Charities cannot provide much-needed aid if people don’t trust them to use their funds wisely.

When trust breaks down, everything breaks down. Research shows that low-trust societies struggle with economic growth, have public health and safety problems, and end up with less effective governments. Basically: things go to shit. And I fear our incentives have been sufficiently nudged in the wrong direction, and we’re currently living through the chain reaction of distrust.

So, what can we do?

Well, first, I can already see my inbox filling with angry readers who spend way too much time watching cable news, screaming, “Oh, so we should just blindly trust our leaders now? Is that what you’re saying?”

No, that’s not what I’m saying. There is a lot of corruption out there. And there are a lot of shady governments and businesses and media outlets.

I suppose what I’m asking for is a little bit less of a demand for perfection and a more robust understanding that, well, humans suck. Every organization fucks up. Every leader puts their foot in their mouth. I might loathe the president or my congress, but at the end of the day, I have to remind myself that I am cheering for their success, despite all of my antipathies. While I may not trust their actions, I still trust the institutions and, in the long-run, for those institutions’ ability to function. I’m still a member of this country and society and that counts for something. I think in the age of the clickbait article and the “gotcha” video clip, we’re all losing sight of that. We’re on the same team here.

We just seem to have forgotten.