Kantar NZ Insights Applied - Online Platforms

Changing levels of trust in online platforms

Brands must be aware that negative coverage is eroding trust in online platforms and information sources, but this is not yet impacting on consumer behaviour.

Over the last few years, both traditional and online sources of information have come under greater scrutiny. Crowd-sourcing of news content through less strictly regulated channels is becoming increasingly common, while politically polarised opinion characterised by President Trump’s coining of the phrase ‘fake news’ has increased confusion over what can and cannot be accepted as an established fact.

Our research reflects this increased scepticism. Only 19% of New Zealand consumers told us that they trust the information they read online. This is a key challenge for brands looking to interact with customers online in a way that builds trust, not suspicion.

To understand the extent of this challenge it is necessary to consider how trust in general compares between online and offline brands. In our survey, we presented participants with a list of organisations and asked whether they trusted each one.

Proportion of NZ consumers trusting each brand

Main bank 85%

Insurance provider 72%

Electricity provider 70%

Google 59%

Government 58%

Samsung 54%

District Council 53%

Apple 46%

Facebook 29%

Twitter 16%

Topping the trust charts in New Zealand are traditional service providers – banks, insurance providers and utility companies all engender high levels of trust. Conversely, online platforms and technology companies tend to appear much lower down the list, even though many of these firms have experienced exponential growth over the last decade or two. The low levels of trust in Twitter and Facebook are particularly interesting given that these are common platforms that New Zealand brands might be using to communicate with or promote to customers.

However, while trust levels are low, we did not see any evidence to suggest that this is having any impact on consumer use or engagement with the platforms. Global data released in January showed that Facebook recorded a rise of 9% in monthly active users, with the total figure reaching 2.32 billion. This is coupled with another year of substantial revenue growth. Our survey results for New Zealand consumers are consistent with these buoyant figures. In spite of the low levels of trust, 71% of New Zealanders are using Facebook daily, placing it comfortably ahead of its closest rivals, YouTube (41%) and Instagram (30%). The proportion of daily users is even higher among the youngest cohort, so even among a group widely reported to be moving to alternative social media platforms, this seems to be in addition to rather than instead of Facebook.

Equally, there’s little evidence of digital detoxing or movements like #deleteFacebook eroding their reach. In our study, consumers were asked whether they were using each platform more or less than they were a year ago. 19% are using Facebook less frequently now, but 34% are using it more. Among the major social media platforms, only YouTube recorded a more positive net result (9% using it less, 39% more). Additionally, we found no link between levels of trust and usage patterns, so those who don’t trust Facebook are no less likely to have increased their use.

So far then, in spite of a series of data and privacy scandals, Facebook appears not to be suffering any genuine adverse effects when it comes to engagement levels. This could reflect the unique position of a service where the lines between content hosting and content ownership are somewhat blurred. Certainly, social media platforms are likely to remain an important part of the digital media mix, but it’s advisable for brands to monitor overarching consumer attitudes. In more typical circumstances, there is a risk that a lack of trust in the vehicle used to deliver a message can be transferred to the message owner by association.

I find that the information you submit to certain websites is saved somewhere and then you start getting advertising and promotional things which makes me think that it’s no longer a secure place to work.