Last month I wondered aloud about the amount of trust we place in online friends and reviews.
"Every day people base purchasing decisions on what people on the internet are saying, and most times it's someone they've never met. In the last month I've made major travel decisions based on TripAdvisor, what books to read based on Amazon reviews, and what restaurant to eat at based on MetroMix. I read the reviews and essentially put my decisions in the hands of strangers."
So do we trust anonymous online people more than we trust our real friends and family? I still don't have the answer, but this was a good start. Share the Dialogue in last month's Marketing Management had an interesting paragraph on women searching for information on health care.
"When it comes to looking for advice regarding health information, women are more likely to look to the internet than friends or family. Sixty percent of them rely on the Internet for such information, according to the results of a study released in January by Reston, Va.-based comScore Inc. When they're not turning to consulting physicians, 85% of women using the Internet have researched women's health issues online, the study finds."
By no means is this a definitive answer, but I think it indicates a trend that we'll see proved more and more: If it hasn't happened already it will soon. The majority of people will place more trust in online strangers than in their trusted friends and family.
(From Marketing Management)
Comments