Deep Drive: How Tech Disrupted Trust

Olivia Carter

So, this idea that in 1993, the Internet basically collapsed the middle layer—the institutions that used to connect us—

Mark Putnam

Like schools, churches, newspapers...

Olivia Carter

That's right. We shifted from these one-to-many systems to this chaotic many-to-many model. And, I mean, on one hand, that's super empowering, right? Everyone suddenly had a platform. But it also... I don’t know, made things kind of fragile?

Mark Putnam

It absolutely did. Institutions, you know, acted as gatekeepers. They established norms, curated information—

Olivia Carter

Yeah, gave us guardrails.

Mark Putnam

Exactly. When the Internet came along, it enabled direct person-to-person communication, bypassing those structures. And it wasn’t just empowering—it was, in many ways, destabilizing. Without those intermediaries, we were left with, well, everything—unchecked, unfiltered, and unmediated.

Olivia Carter

Which sounds amazing, and it is, but... I mean, there’s a cost, right? Take local newspapers, for example. I've seen communities lose them, and it’s wild how fast misinformation fills the void.

Olivia Carter

In 2022, a small town in Georgia experienced a local panic when a resident posted on Facebook that the city’s water supply was contaminated with lead. The post wasn’t based on any official report—just a misinterpretation of a boil water notice issued after a pipe repair. But within hours, the post had been shared hundreds of times, with panicked comments from parents wondering if their kids were safe and others urging people to buy bottled water immediately. It spiraled from a single, unchecked post.

Mark Putnam

And that's such a clear example of what happens when you remove those shared sources of truth. Local newspapers—in this case, even a small one—used to play a balancing role. They reported facts, verified them, and provided a platform for accountable voices.

Olivia Carter

But now everything's direct. It’s like the loudest voice—or the most viral post—wins out, even if it’s completely wrong.

Mark Putnam

And that leads to isolation, too. Communities lose these shared centers of gravity, and suddenly people retreat into these algorithm-driven bubbles. It’s empowering on an individual level, sure, but the emotional and social cost—

Olivia Carter

Anxiety, loneliness, division—

Mark Putnam

Right. Trust in institutions is replaced by frictionless but fragile digital connections. We swapped connection for convenience, and we're paying the price.

Olivia Carter

Honestly, it makes me wonder if we’ve kinda reached a breaking point. Like, we've built this system that connects everyone to everything, but we're more isolated—socially, politically—than we’ve ever been.

Mark Putnam

That’s the paradox. Empowerment without community isn’t sustainable. It’s just chaos.

Olivia Carter

It’s such a paradox, isn’t it? Empowerment without community. And then came 2007—when the iPhone launched. Suddenly, that chaos became even more intimate. The Internet wasn’t just something you connected to—it was literally with you all the time. Everywhere. Every second.

Mark Putnam

And that constant connection—it fundamentally changed how we interact. You weren’t just consuming the Internet anymore. It became a real-time, 24/7 experience.

Olivia Carter

Right, and with social media, it wasn’t just that you were connected. It was addictive. I mean, all those apps were built to keep you scrolling. Dopamine hits on repeat.

Mark Putnam

Exactly. That’s when technology shifted from being a tool to, well, shaping behavior. And the bigger consequence? It started replacing in-person interaction altogether. You know, meetings became emails, discussions became comments, and friendships—

Olivia Carter

—became likes and DMs.

Mark Putnam

Right. And as we moved further into this digital-first world, the boundaries between public and private life blurred. Everything, from the mundane to the deeply personal, transitioned online.

Olivia Carter

And it’s weird, isn’t it? We're connected to our devices constantly, yet people feel lonelier than ever.

Mark Putnam

It's a paradox, but not surprising. The quality of those interactions just isn’t the same. Social media encourages surface-level engagement—likes, shares, reactions—not the deeper, meaningful connections we get in person.

Olivia Carter

Which, by the way, has totally tanked mental health on, like, a massive scale. People are more anxious, more isolated. And it’s not just anecdotal anymore. I’ve covered studies showing this stuff happening across generations, especially with younger people.

Mark Putnam

Absolutely. And let’s not underestimate the role of context here. In academia, for instance, I’ve seen how digital tools—despite their advantages—can disrupt authentic connections between students. It’s easier to collaborate online, sure, but you lose those rich, in-person dialogues and the sense of community they foster.

Olivia Carter

So, it’s like... everything feels more accessible, but it’s hollow. Shallow.

Mark Putnam

In many ways, yes. We've traded richness for convenience. And when you build an entire society on that principle, the cracks start showing.

Olivia Carter

Yeah, like, people aren’t engaging civically anymore. No real debates or conversations—just polarized shouting matches. It’s making everything worse.

Mark Putnam

And it’s all fed by a system designed to extract attention at any cost. Smartphones didn’t just bring connection—they commodified it.

Olivia Carter

Which leaves us with a huge question, right? If this is where we’ve ended up, what happens when we mix in AI?

Mark Putnam

I'll give you a hint, the results are not pretty.

Olivia Carter

Let’s follow that thread—we’ve talked about how the Internet has disrupted institutions and smartphones have fueled this constant connection. Now, we’re seeing AI not just shaping experiences but directly influencing what people believe, and honestly, that’s terrifying.

Mark Putnam

Yeah, AI didn’t invent the echo chamber, but it certainly perfected it. Those machine learning models—

Olivia Carter

They know us better than we know ourselves. Like, we’re not just scrolling anymore; we’re... feeding these systems data constantly, and in return, they reinforce our own biases.

Mark Putnam

Exactly. Every click, every pause—it sharpens their predictive algorithms. And they’re not designed to educate or challenge you. They’re designed to amplify what keeps you engaged.

Olivia Carter

Which, let’s be real, is usually the stuff that makes you angry or scared. It pulls on those really primal emotions, right? Like, fear and outrage are engagement goldmines for these platforms.

Mark Putnam

And that’s the real danger. When everything becomes hyper-personalized, shared reality—the foundation of any stable community—starts to fragment. We stop seeing the world in the same way as our neighbors, and instead, we're locked into these algorithmically curated bubbles.

Olivia Carter

Right, and when you lose a shared reality, how do you even begin to fix things? Like, what can we do to counteract that?

Mark Putnam

Well, first, we have to prioritize media literacy. It’s not enough to teach people to use digital tools—we need to teach them how to critically evaluate what they’re consuming and sharing.

Olivia Carter

Yeah, but that’s easier said than done. I mean, getting people to unlearn these habits and recognize how they’re being manipulated? That’s a massive uphill battle.

Mark Putnam

It is, but it’s not impossible. Higher education could play a key role here. Universities, for instance, have the chance to design courses or even entire curriculums that focus on trust-building skills—empathy, dialogue, engaging with diverse perspectives.

Olivia Carter

Okay, but how do you make that stick? You can’t just throw another Zoom seminar at students and hope it resonates. It has to be... what’s the word? Immersive?

Mark Putnam

That's right. The key is bridging the online and offline worlds. Community-building has to happen in both spaces. Maybe it’s creating hybrid environments where students collaborate digitally but still engage deeply in person. The goal should be meaningful connection, not just transactional interaction.

Olivia Carter

And what about tech itself? Couldn’t the algorithms do better? Like, what if they were designed to promote, I don’t know, thoughtful engagement instead of just addictive scrolling?

Mark Putnam

That’s a critical point. Algorithm design needs to shift its focus. Instead of optimizing for clicks or outrage, it could prioritize reflection and shared understanding. But that requires a fundamental change in how platforms operate—and in how we, as users, interact with them.

Olivia Carter

Which means it’s not just a tech problem, right? It’s cultural too. We need to rethink what we value as a society—whether it’s convenience, speed, whatever—and start focusing on what really matters: trust, connection, actual relationships.

Mark Putnam

And that’s the hardest shift. It’s about rebuilding the scaffolding of connection—creating systems, both human and digital, that are resilient enough to handle disagreement without breaking down.

Olivia Carter

So it’s kind of like a reset, but not back to what we had before. It’s about building something new—a hybrid that actually works for this digital age.

Mark Putnam

Exactly. We can’t turn back the clock, but we can move forward more intentionally. It won't be easy, but if we want healthier communities, better politics, and, frankly, less chaos, it's the path we need to take.

Olivia Carter

Totally. And that’s all we have time for today. Thanks for digging into this with me, Mark. I feel like we’ve unpacked a lot.

Mark Putnam

Likewise, Olivia. Always a pleasure to dive into these big questions with you.

Olivia Carter

Alright, everyone, thanks for listening. Until next time!