China vs US: where trust matters
“That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history.” – Aldous Huxley ||
Hello everyone! I hope you’re all taking care of yourselves. Finally, a peaceful night in my neighbourhood, feeling more rested today.
If you missed the livestream with Izabella Kaminska yesterday, you can catch it here, BUT I must warn you that there were serious tech issues on the back end – Substack Livestreams are convenient but not at all flexible when things go wrong, and for some reason my download is in vertical format and the usual thumbnails contained errors. If you’d rather watch it in landscape (I know I would), Izabella has the correct format over on her blog The Blind Spot.
Production note: 🌞 I’m taking a much-needed couple of days off as of tomorrow, and will skip the free weekly summary (little to summarize) – back on Monday! 🌞
PUBLISHED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH: ✨ ALLIUM ✨
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China vs US: where trust matters
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WHAT I’M WATCHING:
China vs US: where trust matters
We know that trust in payments matters, whether in physical cash or digital – you need to trust the notes are real, or that the electronic rails will deliver the payment. Even when paying with tokens on a public blockchain, we need to trust the technology.
But trust also influences a much broader swathe of our daily decisions than most realize, starting with where to shop, travel, even live. It tints our relationship with neighbours, our portfolio allocations, our political views.
Its importance is one of the reasons I pay so much attention to the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, published in January. Here’s a quote from what I wrote back then:
“The takeaway is of a global society entrenched in fragmentation and echo chambers. … The message is not just about insularity – it’s also about the unwinding of globalization as we seek comfort in the familiar even if it means less prosperity.”
Indeed, a shift in global trust is one of the reasons I do what I do: focus on how new technologies impact opportunity and resilience for individuals, businesses and nations.
