In developing the theory for the Excellence study, Grunig, Grunig, & Ehling (1992) concluded that the following attributes were the most salient for organization-public relationships: reciprocity, trust, credibility, mutual legitimacy, openness, mutual satisfaction, and mutual understanding. Early research regarding trust in interpersonal relationships suggested that trust is essential to promoting as well as maintaining relationships (Canary & Cupach, 1988). In public relations-specific research, Vercic & Grunig (2000) cited trust as the attribute that makes organizations’ existence possible. The researchers conclude, “Therefore we can say that companies are possible because they are trustworthy, and if they are not, they become improbable” (p. 19).



Recent research has examined the ways practitioners are using social media (Wright & Hinson, 2009) and how members of Generation Y, America’s largest generation born between the years 1982 and 2001 and the first to be born into a nation with an accessible Internet system, are using social media in general and in comparison to practitioners (Dodd & Campbell, 2010). Most interesting, it appears that the concept of trust is closely intertwined with Generation Y’s demographic characteristics. 



So, does the mere use of social media impact organizational trust? My recent research indicates that it does. For organizations that use social media as opposed to organizations that do not use social media, significant differences in trust were apparent among the Generation Y demographic. What do you think?