Ad Agency Universal McCann has released a study of online users called When Did We Start Trusting Strangers? The report's conclusion is the Internet and social media have created "the influence economy" and fundamentally changed how consumers "source and share" opinions.
The report says social media has gone mainstream and anyone can share their opinions to a broad, global audience. It is also much easier for consumers to uncover and be influenced by these opinions.
The report also highlights the growing clout of online opinions by people we don't know. While friends and family still have the greatest influence, general consumer reviews and social media posts are increasingly considered trustworthy. This survey finding led to the title.
We've seen similar results in our work on online trust. Experienced and active online users consistently report being able to find trusted information online. They also often point to consumer generated media sources as being trustworthy.
While the report targets large corporations, our research shows that the same trends are impacting small businesses. Small business customers are increasingly using online forums, reviews and recommendations as part of their research and purchase process.
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