14

Digital technologies facilitate in many ways our social interactions — communication, exchange, delegation, reputation, etc. How do these technologies impact on the institutions that typically channel and support our social lives? An influential answer is that digital technologies are tools which empower individuals and allow them to enter non–mediated relationships. The digital transition is framed as a route toward disintermediation. The present paper contests this narrative. Digital technologies—when it comes to their social impact —should themselves be treated as specific social intermediaries. As such, we can ask: are these new layers of social intermediation worthy of our trust? The authors spell out three reasons why, in their current state, they are not. Current attempts to build trustworthy digital institutions are briefly reviewed.