Why I’m done saying “trust recession”

Unless you’ve been hiding out in an isolated cabin (which sounds lovely), you’ve probably heard the term “trust recession.” The term first appeared in 2008, but most recently spiked in 2025, when AI took off, economic uncertainty grew, digital marketing became more saturated, and bizfluencers began falling out of favor as we saw the million-dollar ad spend behind their supposedly “stress-free launches.” If calling this time a “trust recession” feels empowering to you, or you haven’t felt its...