Who Can You Trust?: How Technology Brought Us Together and Why It Might Drive Us Apart

306 Pages·2017·3.87 MB·English

by  Rachel Botsman

Copyright
Copyright © 2017 by Rachel Botsman Hachette Book Group supports the right
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Originally published in hardcover and ebook by Portfolio Penguin in October
2017
First Edition: November 2017
Published by PublicAffairs, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of
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Illustrations by Team (www.team.design) Library of Congress Control Number:
2017949042
2017949042
ISBNs: 978-1-5417-7367-7 (hardcover), 978-1-5417-7368-4 (ebook) E3-
20171012-JV-PC
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Who Can You Trust?
Evolution of Trust
Introduction
1. Trust Leaps
From eleventh-century traders to Alibaba: how trust works to cross barriers,
calm fears and revolutionize what’s possible.
2. Losing Faith
Behind the devastating crisis in institutional trust–and why we’re now more
likely to ‘phone a friend’.
3. Strangely Familiar
From sushi to self-driving cars–some surprising lessons in persuading people
to trust new ideas.
4. Where Does the Buck Stop?
When trust crashes in the ‘self-managed’ digital world, who’s accountable?
5. But She Looked the Part
A cautionary tale about deceptive appearances, and the technology that could
unmask fakers and frauds.
6. Reputation is Everything, Even in the Dark
What drug dealers on the darknet can teach us about great customer service.
7. Rated: Would Your Life Get a Good Trust Score?
When dystopian sci-fi turns into a reality and every little move you make is
ranked, who wins and who loses?
8. In Bots We Trust
But should we… and how do we make them ethical?
9. Blockchain Part I: The Digital Gold Rush
From fei to bitcoin, the long road to setting money free. What will it mean for
the City?
10. Blockchain Part II: The Truth Machine
The golden promises of the blockchain: over-hyped or the trustworthy key to
our digital future?
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Glossary of ‘Trust’ Terms
Notes and Further Reading
Index
In memory of Pamela Hartigan, my friend and mentor.
What is trust?
A confident relationship with the unknown.
Who Can You Trust?
‘In this extremely thought-provoking new book, Rachel Botsman educates and
entertains as she reveals with expertise how our lives are already changing more
than we know. A must-read for anyone interested in how the world works–and
will work in the future’ Will Dean, MBE, CEO, Tough Mudder ‘Not only is the
thesis completely compelling. It demonstrates, through a sequence of real-world
case studies of projects, businesses and platforms, that the distributed trust
model offers enormous promise if used wisely–as well as enormous pitfalls if
used unwisely. For good and sometimes ill, it has the potential to reshape
everything we do, from our choice of babysitter to our choice of money. These
are important messages from what is an important book’ Andy Haldane, Chief
Economist, Bank of England ‘A fascinating and well-researched study. Every
reader will gain new insights into one of the great issues of our time: the shifting
tides of trust’ Geoff Mulgan, CBE, Chief Executive of the National Endowment
for Science Technology and the Arts (Nesta)
‘Profound insights about how the digital age changes trust, wrapped in a
compelling narrative of captivating and revealing stories. A rare book that will
cause you to think deeply about your business, your relationships and your life’
Don Tapscott, bestselling author of Wikinomics and Blockchain Revolution
‘This book perfectly walks the reader through the past, present and future of trust
as we know it. Rachel’s expertise on this topic is unmatched. It’s an absolute
must-read for business leaders and everyday consumers alike’ Nick Shapiro,
Global Head of Trust and Risk Management, Airbnb ‘This is that admirable and
all-too-rare book that gives you “an idea to think with” that helps to put new
things in place. Who Can You Trust? is a primer for a new world that sets you up
to be a better citizen, consumer and parent. I quickly learned so much about so
many things I wanted to know’ Professor Sherry Turkle, author of Reclaiming
Conversation and Alone Together