Social Media and the Trust Continuum: The Haves and Want-Nots
There is a growing dichotomy of social media users today. In one camp, sit those who consume social media voraciously. They check in via FourSquare, tweet ravenously, have more than 1,000 Facebook friends and indeed, their Klout scores are a source of great pride. In the other camp, sit those who avoid social outlets at all costs. They don’t want people to know where they are nor what they are doing and they certainly do not want to put their name online for others to abuse with reckless abandon. The driving force in both of these communities – and those in between – is trust.
The explosion of data coupled with an abundance of user-generated content is creating new issues of trust and unchecked culpability. While social media has enriched millions of lives and entrenched itself throughout much of our society, there is an even larger group of individuals who feel overwhelmed, confused and in many cases frightened by the potential prospects of sharing too much about themselves online.
Driven by the omnipresence of social media and an abundance of data shared by others, individuals are often led to believe that there is little they can do to manage what is said about them online, much less counter or rectify inaccurate information. In many respects, social media has become both a blessing and a curse. It fosters tremendous interconnectivity, relationships and constant communications, but also presents some difficult challenges. Therein lies the trust continuum.
The hard truth is: If you are not managing your online identity, someone else can and will. Regardless of one’s proclivity to be heavily engaged in social media or sit on the sidelines, we all deserve an online reputation that matches our true self. We need to empower individuals with the information and tools they need to make personal and professional decisions with peace of mind.
As individuals are given greater control over how they are presented online, the balance of power shifts greatly in their favor, and their trust in social outlets is likely to increase. Society has changed dramatically as the majority of our relationships are now built and fostered online. It’s up to each of us to take the power back.