Human interactions are built on trust. We trust others to hand over the goods when we pay them. We trust banks with our money and doctors with our lives. We trust governments to run our countries and newspapers to tell us how they are doing it. The more trust in a society, the better it fares; without it society would collapse.

In the old days people trusted their kings and nobles and went into battle for them.  With the industrial revolution and the rise of international trade , we were dealing long-distance with international trade, so people started to trust intermediaries like insurers, bank managers  and lawyers. Reputation was vital.  Marketing teams created brands that  anthropomorphise faceless corporations. In the last century we have trusted democratically elected representatives and a free press that prided itself on accurate reporting.

But public trust in our institutions has plummeted in the past decade. Nearly half of people in the US mistrust lawmakers according to a recent  poll. In the UK, fewer than 1 in 4 people trust the press.  The internet has fundamentally changed who we trust and why. Technology now allows us to make informed (?) decisions and vet individuals. Millions of people learned to their dismay about banking and company scandals, exorbitant salaries and political corruption.  Leaks quickly become common knowledge.

Now opinion is no longer shaped only by journalists, experts or state authorities. With constant access to a deluge of information, rather than putting our trust in the institutions we’re now trusting our peers instead of the institutions. People are questioning  the entire system.

And yet, companies which rely on people placing their faith in strangers are thriving. The trick seems to be forging links directly between individuals, while appearing to cut out the institutions.

When many of these companies started out, they could still rely partly on existing social connections. You might stay at an Airbnb based on a personal recommendation, for example. But as they expanded, it became more and more crucial to encourage trust between users.

What the internet offers instead is information. Companies like CouchSurfing, Airbnb and Task Rabbit  – which put you in contact with strangers, do so in a way that encourages you to invite strangers into your home.  Profiles, pictures, personal details and online ratings allow us to make informed decisions. We pick hotels on the basis is a string of comments on websites by total strangers.   Actually, by and large, it works, but for how long?   (part-based on an article by Douglas Heaven, New Scientist, 28 Oct 2017)