With it, Edelman recommends that organizations begin now to broadcast the opinions of in-house experts.
That's because social media "over-friending" has triggered a falloff in trust of peers.
With the rise of social networks, trust in peers has fallen 21 points on the Trust Barometer during the past five years.
In 2006, 68% of people said they trusted peers. Today, 47% say they do.
But trust in experts has increased 8 points during the same period.
In 2006, 62% of people said they trusted experts. Today, 70% say they do.
"To stand out in a very cluttered media world, organizations must increasingly activate their internal subject matter experts as thought leaders," says Steve Rubel, director of insights for Edelman Digital.
Capitalizing on in-house experts isn't easy. For tips, see my special report, Path of Persuasion.
