In Search Engines We Trust?

Charlie Pownall

Concerns about privacy and piracy aside it seems search engines can do little wrong. Google is regularly rated one of the most trusted companies in the world. A 2013 study by media agency OMD discovered Britons trust Google as much as they do the church. Baidu is one of the five most trusted brands in China. Data from PR firm Edelman’s latest Trust Barometer suggests search engines are regarded as more trustworthy sources of general news and information than all other forms of media, including the traditional/mainstream media and online word of mouth/social media.

It is an interesting finding that raises all manner of questions for traditional news publishers, social media platform operators, marketers, public relations professionals and others. But the research also begs an important question: despite the trust placed in Google, Bing, Baidu et al and their undoubted power to influence how people perceive companies, should search engines really be classified as media ‘sources’?

I expect search engines to deliver a good range of links to relevant, timely news coverage either when a story is breaking or when I want to get a sense of what others beyond my staple news provider(s) are saying. They are also very useful for conducting basic research into a company, industry or topic. Edelman’s data suggests this is also the case for many others.

But while we may trust Google to dredge up a decent sample of the latest news coverage research consistently shows we continue to trust news and information from the mainstream media, companies and brands, and through friends sharing experiences and making recommendations (the order depending on the researcher – see here and here). Despite the increasingly hybrid nature of much media consumption today, of which Facebook Instant Articles is the latest manifestation, the fact that an article or video analysis is produced by a recognised journalist at the AP or BBC or by a blogger or colleague who we figure knows what he is talking about continues to determine whether we take it seriously and trust it, irrespective of whether the content is viewed on the publisher’s website, mobile app, Facebook or Google.

Edelman’s annual trust updates provide fascinating insights into the nature and dynamics of trust across the world, but in the area of media sources they seem to be comparing apples with pears. Or am I being pedantic?

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