There is no trust in digital—it is a thing of the past. Security breaches and deep fakes teach us to be skeptical. Social media, digital platforms, and marketing perpetuate scams and spam. Bots and algorithms dominate our attention, and fake news continues to be the watchword of the day. As designers, technologists and marketers in an industry that requires people to be comfortable with what’s going to happen when they click “submit,” we are at a crossroads. How can we recreate value and symbiosis in the products we design when trust can no longer be taken for granted and the very nature of truth has been subverted? Join panelists from technology, design, media and marketing to explore this issue that is defining our society as we identify a way forward.

1. DIGITAL DESIGN
IN A POST-TRUTH WORLD
SxSW 2020 Panel Proposal
“Close up of smartphone in hand,” by Japanexperterna.se used under CC BY 2.0 / Desaturated from original

2. We live in a post-truth world.
“Donald Trump,” by Gage Skidmore used under CC BY-SA 2.0 / Desaturated and cropped from original

3. Digital media have created a culture that
presents anything and everything as credible,
truthful and even trustworthy.
Bots, algorithms and fake news
monopolize our attention.

4. People now struggle with discerning truth from falsehood—
and they don’t even realize it.
23% admit to having
spread fake news
23% 39%
But only 39% say they
can recognize it
Pew Research Center Study, December 2016

5. “smartphone,” by Image Genie used under CC BY-SA 2.0 / Desaturated and cropped from original
But design depends
on trust.
Users must trust that their
interactions, their data, and
their lives will be handled
with integrity by technology,
organizations and people
they only interact with
through a web site or app.

6. This is creating
anxiety and cynicism
around our very
institutions—from
banking, to education,
to government.
“Smartphone,” by Spry used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

7. Can we design digital experiences in a trust-free
environment? Can they succeed?
Can good design rebuild trust?
Can the design process help?
Do the fundamentals of design need to change?
“Travis Isaacs Follow The apple of my eyes.,” by Travis Isaacs used under CC BY 2.0 / Desaturated from original

8. We’ll explore these and
other questions from four
perspectives in this
panel, and we’ll look at
specific remedies
and solutions.
And we’ll forge a
way forward.
KELLY COLBERT
SVP, Brand Advertising,
Inbound Marketing & Social Media
U.S. Bank
GENE LEE
SVP, CX and Design
Mailchimp
SHAREEN PATHAK
Managing Director of Editorial Products
Digiday Media
KEN KRAEMER
Managing Partner
Rebellion Design Co.

9. Because if we won’t help these
people, who will?
“Crowd,” by James Cridland used under CC BY 2.0 / Desaturated and cropped from original.