Rachel Botsman: We've stopped trusting institutions and started trusting strangers

We've stopped trusting institutions and started trusting strangers

Something profound is changing our concept of trust, says Rachel Botsman. While we used to place our trust in institutions like governments and banks, today we increasingly rely on others, often strangers, on platforms like Airbnb and Uber and through technologies like the blockchain. This new era of trust could bring with it a more transparent, inclusive and accountable society -- if we get it right. Who do you trust?

Trust is undergoing a dramatic transformation as people rely less on banks and governments, and more on strangers through platforms like Airbnb, Uber, and even blockchain technology. Every month, ride-sharing service BlaBlaCar moves over four million people, many of whom have never met before. This shift signals a move away from institutional trust towards a new, distributed form built on accountability, transparency, and digital platforms. As trust flows through society in new ways, it changes our behaviors and the systems we depend on.