Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

If you can't trust those in charge, who can you trust? From government to business, banks to media, trust in institutions is at an all-time low. But this isn't the age of distrust -- far from it.

In this revolutionary book, world-renowned trust expert Rachel Botsman reveals that we are at the tipping point of one of the biggest social transformations in human history -- with fundamental consequences for everyone. A new world order is emerging: we might have lost faith in institutions and leaders, but millions of people rent their homes to total strangers, exchange digital currencies, or find themselves trusting a bot. This is the age of "distributed trust," a paradigm shift driven by innovative technologies that are rewriting the rules of an all-too-human relationship.

If we are to benefit from this radical shift, we must understand the mechanics of how trust is built, managed, lost, and repaired in the digital age. In the first book to explain this new world, Botsman provides a detailed map of this uncharted landscape -- and explores what's next for humanity.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Evolution of Trust(p. ix)
• Introduction(p. 1)
• 1 Trust Leaps(p. 11)
• From eleventh-century traders to Alibaba: how trust works to cross barriers, calm fears and revolutionize what's possible.
• 2 Losing Faith(p. 31)
• Behind the devastating crisis in institutional trust - and why were now more likely to 'phone a friend'.
• 3 Strangely Familiar(p. 55)
• From sushi to self-driving cars - some surprising lessons in persuading people to trust new ideas.
• 4 Where Does the Buck Stop?(p. 81)
• When trust crashes in the 'self-managed' digital world, who's accountable?
• 5 But She Looked the Part(p. 108)
• A cautionary tale about deceptive appearances, and the technology that could unmask fakers and frauds.
• 6 Reputation is Everything, Even in the Dark(p. 134)
• What drug dealers on the darknet can teach us about great customer service.
• 7 Rated: Would Your Life Get a Good Trust Score?(p. 150)
• When dystopian sci-fi turns into a reality and every little move you make is ranked, who wins and who loses?
• 8 In Bots We Trust(p. 177)
• But should we ... and how do we make them ethical?
• 9 Blockchain Part I: The Digital Gold Rush(p. 203)
• From fei to bitcoin, the long road to setting money free. What will it mean for the City?
• 10 Blockchain Part II: The Truth Machine(p. 219)
• The golden promises of the blockchain: over-hyped or the trustworthy key to our digital future?
• Conclusion(p. 246)
• Glossary of 'Trust' Terms(p. 257)
• Acknowledge merits(p. 259)
• Notes and Further Reading(p. 263)
• Index(p. 309)