In a society battered by unprecedented economic, political, cultural and ecological collapse, trust – in our laws, our media, our governments – been lost. So how can it be won back? By examining key areas of trust including the police, the rule of law, the 21st century city and social media, Ros Taylor, journalist, podcaster imagines what future life might be like.
I've something a little different today. I usually review fiction but when Nikki Griffiths from Melville House contacted me about their new Futures series, I was intrigued;
'The books in our FUTURES Series are short, self-contained essays in which experts in their fields write an imaginative future vision on their chosen topic – one that highlights both beauties and dangers ahead, and which experiments with ideas that can help change the public conversation about our collective future.'
Many thanks to Nikki for sending me a copy of The Future of Trust by Ros Taylor and for inviting me to take part in the blog tour.
As somebody who works in education - an institution which relies on trust - and particularly as my role as the school's Emotional Learning Support Assistant (ELSA) means I have to be able to develop trusting relationships with the children who come to see me, as well as their teachers and carers, I was intrigued to read The Future of Trust.
In her foreword, Ros Taylor argues that although love is often seen as the supreme force that makes life bearable, people actually need to experience a different emotion at the most critical times in their lives. She observes that,
'When the bombs start falling, humans naturally turn to the most fundamental and powerful of emotions. But it is not love that lets people save money in a bank. It is not love that means a police officer can carry a Taser or a gun. It is not love that allows them to stay calm as anaesthesia flows into a vein; it is trust.'
She goes on to note that although people often say they expect journalists to tell the truth, what they actually want is a version of truth which best reflects their preferences and instincts. Trust and truth are nuanced, with accuracy sometimes less important than trusting in others to make sense of things. Over the past decade, a series of events and crises have undermined the fundamental trust people had in their governments and a rapidly changing future, with AI increasingly becoming part of our daily lives will lead to us reconsidering what it means to trust still further.
The opening chapter looks at a brief history of trust and explains the difference between institutional trust, which is theoretically reciprocal and dependent on various checks and balances, and interpersonal trust – our willingness to believe that individuals we don't personally know are generally trustworthy. It's a fascinating subject to consider, especially as interpersonal trust is hard to define, while institutional trust is in a state of flux as we increasingly prefer to put our trust in businesses rather than our journalists, and crucially our governments.
Of course, Brexit and Covid have seen huge divides in what and who people are prepared to trust. Ros Taylor devotes a chapter to the pandemic, noting how trust can be frayed, and that a loss of trust in government can play out in different ways, with some people experiencing a reinforcement in interpersonal trust while others felt resentful and insecure. She juxtaposes the comforting sense of solidarity with the self-righteousness fury aimed at those not being seen to do the right thing. She also raises an important point when considering how the anger of those who hated the various constraints and demands, most notably regarding vaccination, became muddled with the hesitancy that other people, especially black or minority ethnic Britons who felt undervalued and under-protected experienced. It's such a vital distinction to make, especially given the historical medical experiments performed on Black populations.
The erosion of trust and the rise of conspiracy theories is discussed too, as well as the various challenges and failings facing the criminal justice system. Ros Taylor's research into the subject is evident throughout, with plenty of statistics and examples to illustrate the points she makes. She also includes some brief fictional narratives to hypothesise about what the future may bring; the chapters focusing on Neom's futuristic 'linear city' currently being built in Saudi Arabia, deepfakes, the media and the BBC, the police, and climate all include potential scenarios which underline just how crucial trust will continue to be.
The chapter on artificial intelligence is arguably the most interesting – and the most unsettling. As AI is already quite good at gatekeeping, what will happen if we continue to allow it to make nuanced, autonomous decisions on our behalf? The unconscious biases which afflict programmers have already been pointed out but with AI increasingly curating our social media, we risk only being exposed to views we agree with and as Ros Taylor writes here,
'In life, finding people whom you agree and can work with is indispensable. But to subsequently close yourself off from other views, give up the hard work of interpersonal trust, and seek refuge in shared rage are signs of a society in retreat.'
The Future of Trust is a thought-provoking and compelling examination of a topic which many of us are probably guilty of never really considering. I thoroughly enjoyed this approachably absorbing, informed read and will certainly check out some of the other Futures titles in the series.
The other Futures titles available to read now are;
The Future of Songwriting by Throwing Muses frontwoman and critically acclaimed solo artist Kristin Hersh imagines the ways the music industry can pull back from commercialism and nurture creativity, while reflecting on Hersh's own career.
The Future of War Crimes Justice by ex-war correspondent and author Chris Stephen ponders the future of prosecuting war criminals who think themselves untouchable, debating what more can be done to uphold justice.
The Future of Wales by VICE columnist Rhys Thomas imagines the potential for revitalisation in Welsh sport, food, public transport, high streets and energy production and considers the question of Welsh independence and the fate of the Welsh language.
The Future of Energy by Richard Black & The Future of the Self by Joanna Nadin will be published in July 2024.
The Future of Trust can be purchased from bookshop.org, Hive, Waterstones, Amazon or your favourite independent bookshop.
Follow the blog tour, details are below.
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