I think most people trust their government, large companies etc. to some degree, but much more so they trust others who are in "their tribe".
e.g. if I read a story on HN about some police brutality, posted by some familar, karma-rich HN user, I'd quite possibly give it more credence than a report from said police department denying it. Just because I'm in the HN tribe.
This effect is why posting deliberately inflammatory fake news on platforms like Facebook is so damn effective. The typical pattern is (a) establishing the author's tribe (e.g. gun-toting 50-something male living in a southern state) and then (b) launching the attack.
I really like to think that, as a rational person, my bullshit detectors would fire... but its an interesting thought experiment as to what I'd give credence to just because it was uttered by a respected HN poster.
e.g. if I read a story on HN about some police brutality, posted by some familar, karma-rich HN user, I'd quite possibly give it more credence than a report from said police department denying it. Just because I'm in the HN tribe.
This effect is why posting deliberately inflammatory fake news on platforms like Facebook is so damn effective. The typical pattern is (a) establishing the author's tribe (e.g. gun-toting 50-something male living in a southern state) and then (b) launching the attack.
I really like to think that, as a rational person, my bullshit detectors would fire... but its an interesting thought experiment as to what I'd give credence to just because it was uttered by a respected HN poster.