75% of You Don’t Trust Your Friends
Do you trust your friends? According to The Ad Contrarian, 3 Out Of 4 Don’t Trust Their Friends. For all intensive purposes, I am applying this article to relationships within social media. That could mean both people who are acquainted in the real and online world, and those folks who only know each other through an online medium.
That’s interesting. Of all people who to trust, why wouldn’t friends fall into the “credible” category?
I am interested in knowing how the study defines “friends and peers.” Does this mean people who somebody actually knows personally, or just somebody who is interested in the same topic as they? Of course, I do not trust my friend who is a chef when he gives me advice about how to fix my plumbing. In that case, I would likely trust the collective advice of plumbers.
I will note, however, that before I purchase anything online, I always look at reviews of the product/service before I buy. No, I do not consider the writers of those reviews to be my friends or peers. They are strangers, but when many strangers provide parallel information, it becomes trustworthy.
Something else to examine here is whether or not the “friends and peers” have positioned themselves to be trustworthy about the various topics at hand. People may trust me for web site advice (because I have positioned myself as a “web guy”), but they will not trust me if I attempt to convince them why the world will end in 2012 (for the record, I do not consider myself an expert with theology, and I do not think the world will end in 2012).
Let’s be honest, most of us know when somebody is full of it. If you think somebody is trying to swindle you, they very well may be.
“My cow just died, and I don’t want your bull.” – Unknown
What type of connection do you think justifies an online “friendship”? Do you trust your friends as the relationship relates to social media?
With this article, there are some gaps to be considered. However, I will continue to trust credible reviews of products and services. Long live the power of community!
Leave your response!