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The Game of Trust: Reflections on Truth and Trust in a Shifting Media Ecosystem

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Media Trust in a Digital World

Abstract

In many ways, trust has been a crucial component of the media industry for ages. History knows the full spectrum, from freedom of the press to the media serving as the fourth estate to suppression and misuse for propaganda. In today’s modern society, trust in the media hasn’t lost any relevance. On the contrary, in an ever more complex and digital world, trust is the crucial point not only for opinion making but also for business models. The term media covers much more than the traditional channels of mass media. Almost any kind of media content is only one click away, be it breaking news, marketing information from institutions and brands, or illegal activities. We can find anything online and make more or less deliberate decisions, believe the news or not, buy a product, or just forget about it. The competitive advantage is not necessarily with the journalists who produce objective and high-quality content but with those that have the best search engine marketing. Digitization has caused major shifts in the media system, with enormous consequences for content, distribution channels and financial aspects. This introductory chapter will give an overview of the context mediacommunicationtrust in a digital world.

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Correspondence to Stephanie Heinecke .

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Heinecke, S. (2019). The Game of Trust: Reflections on Truth and Trust in a Shifting Media Ecosystem. In: Osburg, T., Heinecke, S. (eds) Media Trust in a Digital World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30774-5_1

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