I keep seeing more signs of eroding trust in society. Little things. Fast food restaurants no longer having self-serve fountain drinks. Theft and break-ins in neighborhoods that even a few years ago never thought of locking doors. Service providers that never show up, ratings that mean nothing, Uber drivers that cancel on you.
None of these in isolation are a huge deal. Normal bumps in the road. But the number of these little shifts is astonishing, and combined, create an undercurrent of inability to have confidence in anything. You have to have a second thought about things. The benefits of a high-trust society – speed, efficiency, safety, ease of business – are eroding.
This does not bode well. Low trust societies are survivable, but not enjoyable.