Trust in Information: The End of Believing Our Own Eyes?
Trust in Information: The End of Believing Our Own Eyes?  
Podcast: Ruined By The Internet? | Uncovering the human cost of our digital world
Published On: Sat Jan 03 2026
Description: The internet promised a more informed society where anyone could share knowledge freely. But has it instead created a crisis of trust - where expertise is constantly challenged, and huge numbers of us struggle to discern fact from fiction?We're joined by Terry Flew - Professor of Digital Communication & Culture and Co-Director of the Centre for AI, Trust & Governance at the University of Sydney - whose research sits at the exact intersection of media, technology, and why we've stopped believing what we read.Welcome to Ruined By The Internet? - the show where we examine how technology is shaping modern life - whether we want it to or not.Follow or subscribe to never miss the next investigation - new episodes regularly.Visit us: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/Help us investigate ourselves: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/survey/Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/rbtishowIn this episode we investigate the concept of mediated trust and how the internet broke it, examine the battle between social media and traditional journalism for credibility, explore how AI is accelerating the misinformation crisis, and ask whether critical thinking is enough to navigate a digital world specifically designed to exploit our trust.00:00 - Introduction to mediated trust and the information crisis01:26 - How media and misinformation have evolved together01:37 - What mediated trust actually means and why it's breaking down06:06 - The crisis of trust in institutions: is it terminal?07:39 - How algorithms decide what we trust without us realising09:28 - Trust in Australian media: a case study in collapse14:10 - Journalists versus influencers: who's actually shaping what we believe?17:57 - Defamation, power dynamics, and who gets to control the narrative19:27 - How media trust and consumption patterns are shifting in real time22:29 - The polarising impact of celebrity culture on information credibility24:25 - AI's role in information processing: help or accelerant?30:16 - Navigating human versus machine communication in a trust vacuum33:09 - What restoring trust in information sources would actually requireGuest links – Terry FlewUniversity profile: https://www.sydney.edu.au/arts/about/our-people/academic-staff/terry-flew.htmlPodcast: https://mediated-trust-arts.sydney.edu.au/programs/time-for-trust-podcast-series/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terryflew/