People now access information more on digital platforms than TV, radio, print, or news sites. As traditional gatekeepers lose control of information flows, anyone can now shape public understanding. And like any democratized environment, today’s information ecosystem depends on those who participate.
But participation and adaptation don’t always come easily — especially to those who have been able to rely on legacy channels to signal authority.
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🩺 Medicine
71% of doctors and nurses use social media for personal reasons or professional development. But many do not receive training or support to create health content, though they are among society’s most trusted voices.
📚 Academia
92% of US-based higher education faculty have a social media account, and over half of them report logging in on a daily basis. But the majority use it to consume content passively, while contributing either seldomly or never.
🏛️ Government
62% of OECD member countries have government social media guidelines, but these focus more on risk mitigation than implementation. Only 18% offer practical resources to help civil servants use digital platforms more effectively.
🌿 NGOs
87% of NGOs use%2087%25%20of%20nonprofits%20worldwide,16%25:%20Decreased) social media, mostly for fundraising. Many invest in paid ads, yet only half define a digital strategy. It’s a missed opportunity for resource-limited orgs, as educational content now doubles conversion over traditional ads.
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As content marketplaces, platforms can only reflect expertise if experts actually contribute to them. In their absence, consumers naturally calibrate their standards toward whatever is accessible — eventually favoring the familiar even when the quality of information is lower.
That’s why active participation online is now a duty-of-care responsibility for institutions that steward public knowledge, and a necessity for people who have invested deeply in building expertise and don’t want to disappear in a competitive, fragmented information environment.
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Today, audiences gravitate more towards accessibility and emotional connection than to traditional authority.
Globally, nearly two-thirds of people say they grant influence to those who understand what people like them need and want — compared to roughly half who say formal authority alone earns their trust.
Source: 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Global Report
That’s why institutions still relying on legacy channels like press offices, academic journals, and traditional media are losing public trust in favor of individuals who who feel familiar, accessible, and human.
🏛️ Government is trusted in 28% of countries
🌿 NGOS are trusted in 39% of countries
🌐 The UN is trusted in 36% of countries
📺 Media is trusted in 29% of countries
compared to…
🔬 77% of people trust scientists
📚 75% of people trust teachers
🦺 64% of people trust fellow citizens
🏘️ 61% of people trust neighbors
But institutional communicators are rarely supported or trained to engage with the public in this new way. And pedigree experts spend years honing rigor and knowledge — not creating self-published, short-form, or narrative-first media.
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Having run public information programs around the world, I work across sectors to help institutions build resilient communication strategies and empower experts to participate online with confidence and integrity.