Consumer trust in the digital age Part 2: social media

4-09-2018

In social media we trust? Think again. 

trust social media It’s no surprise that social media platforms are among the areas of the web where consumers are most concerned about identity and whether the individuals and accounts they’re interacting with are legitimate — especially given recent current events and the current political climate.

Increasingly, it is becoming clear that trust is no longer a “nice to have” for businesses, but it is now a “must have.” And the foundation of trust in the digital channel lies in identity verification. Consumers want to feel secure that the businesses, websites and platforms they’re using are taking the appropriate steps to verify users’ identities. No matter what industry they operate in, companies that make identity verification and trust a cornerstone of their business will be the ones to thrive, not just survive, in the new digital economy. Even in this new landscape, verifying a person’s government-issued ID is still the gold standard of establishing trust, and businesses that integrate seamless methods for identity verification into their platforms will be the ones that emerge as leaders.

This is just a cursory glimpse into some of the emerging trends we explore in out annual survey, which we'll publish in just a few short weeks. Be sure to keep an eye on our blog for the complete findings, and to learn how businesses can use identity verification to ensure consumer trust.

87%

think social media is teeming with fake profiles and bot accounts

42%

trust LinkedIn.
32% trust YouTube,
27% trust Pinterest,
24% trust Facebook

41%

of social networkers plan to continue to use social media as usual

42%

of people ages 18-29 are more likely to continue using social media, business as usual vs only 23% of people over 65