Feb 13, 2018

Californians trust tech, not social media

Sara Fischer

Californians say technology is the most trusted industry, but social media, a product of technology, is one of the least-trusted sectors, according to The 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer California Supplemental Survey.

Why it matters: Few California residents site social media companies when asked to name technology companies. Instead they list Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung (in that order) as the top four companies that come to mind.

Reproduced from Edelman Trust Barometer; Chart: Axios Visuals

Across the state's major metropolitan areas, a huge divide persists between trust in tech and social media:

  • CA — 62% trust in tech; 37% trust in social media
  • Bay Area — 62% trust in tech; 35% trust in social media
  • LA — 62% trust in tech; 38% trust in social media

As Edelman CEO Richard Edelman noted at an Axios event last week, social and search have been grouped together, causing a confusion around trust.

  • While social and search are both growing programmatic ad revenue streams, they often involve much different content strategies.
  • Social performance is based on content whose authority is often affirmed by engagement. Search is based on relevancy and for the most part, accuracy.

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