Communities Face to Face Online
Something I found interesting was the study on trust in the United States. Which concluded that the portion of people who believe that most people can be trusted has gone up since 1993. In 1960 it was at 58%, in 1993 it dropped to 37% and in 2007 it went up to 45%. The layout of the trust in the United States concluded that categorically white people, people of ages 50-65+, married people, people making a salary of 100K+, and people living in rural,suburban,close knit communities were found to be the most trustworthy.
That being said I looked into the online community of couchsurfing.org. The whole time I was exploring this site I was intrigued by this idea that the site is based upon blind trust. The mission of the site is to create a community where you can share your life, create a connection, offer kindness, stay curious, and to leave it better than you found it. The way the site is used is Something that struck me about their values is that they are creating a new kind of community that translates from the virtual world to the real world.
There are 9 million members of the couch surfing community and they are active in 120,000 cities around the world. This goes to show that trust in the real world is a lot different in the online world. When using the site you set up a profile and then you can go and explore your city and interact with fellow couch surfers and hosts. You can also read about other people's adventures and experiences using the site. The trust that develops between members of the site is based upon a common interest, and this is developed by having similar mindsets and all being part of the couch surfing community. Users review peoples profiles and have the choice of whether or not they would like to reach out to other members. The site is policed in a way that they ask that you give feedback and report any abuse or negative experiences while couch surfing.
If a trust survey was conducted on the site it would look entirely different than the one conducted on people in the United States. It is easier to establish trust online as there isn't the initial barrier of face to face interaction. Online you are meeting someone that is presenting you with their profile or the best of the best. What you takeaway about a person is limited in the sense that you only know what that person wants you to know about them.
You make an interesting comparison between online and IRL trust. I somewhat agree with what you mention. It is true that when meeting someone in person, you advertise what you want. Online you do the same, but on a site like couch surfing, you trust that the site confirms people are "legit". It may be easier to trust people online because people would assume site administrators would go through with a user check or something like that. The initial sense of anonymity also may make it easier to connect with someone online. In real life, we may judge someone based on their looks, and online the "look factor" disappears. At the same time, having anonymity brings danger, and I'm not sure I would necessarily trust living with someone temporarily after meeting them online. Anonymity both brings trust and distrust. Nevertheless, I found your comparison quite interesting.
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