In God We Trust?

Contrary to the principle of separation of church and state, "In God We Trust" is plastered all over our currency. There is not too much controversy over this, either. But if we trust in God, in whom else do we trust? Reporters? Family, friends? Neighbors? Our pastors?
It's safe to say that trust has always been extremely highly valued, but today especially, it is becoming harder and harder to come by. Richard Nixon proved that the government isn't always trustworthy. There are daily apologies on the back pages of newspapers proving that they aren't always trustworthy. So who do people trust these days?
This general question parallels the more narrow question of who people trust for their news. Both questions are founded in people's ideals.
With the constantly expanding reach of social media, groupthink is becoming a greater contributor to where people get their news. Does this make news more or less reliable?
This isn't a straightforward question to answer. It also doesn't necessarily dictate the sources that people trust.
With social media, people can find out news from their friends, a source that most people can trust. However, if a friend gives you faulty information, versus a newspaper, you are probably more likely to lose trust in the paper before your friend. This stems from the idea that newspapers are assumed to be experts in their field.
For example, a friend of mine just this weekend posted to his facebook page that Dino Gregory made the buzzer beater for Maryland against Georgia Tech to win the game. Seeing this I looked at the Maryland athletics page and found out that it was Cliff Tucker who made the shot. Knowing this, I still trust this friend--because if I didn't, what's the point of friendship? However, if the Maryland athletics page reported this stat incorrectly I would be wary every time I got information from there.
Expertise is what differentiates my friend and the Web site. This is also what makes social media difficult. If you're not careful, you can mistake a novice for an expert. You have to be careful when getting your information. Trust in a source is something that you build up over time. You know your friends and most likely you're friends with them because they haven't proven that they are untrustworthy.
The sources that you trust are the ones closest to you and the ones closest to the source. When a source proves their expertise, they assume a responsibility to remain trustworthy.
So the final verdict on groupthink? Well what's the source? Groupthink doesn't always have accurate information, so it's important to remain on your toes. But it's also important to know the source of the information. If the source is close to the content in some way--an expert--they are probably more reliable.
How someone builds up their trust in a source or person varies by each person, but closeness to the subject and closeness to you are two major determinants in trusting a source.

Posted by Jordan Powell