Last week we had stories about a reporter who wouldn’t accept a bag of chips from a political staffer and content creators who think it’s no big deal to secretly accept thousands of dollars a month from dark money groups Guess who the public deems trustworthy
They seem more trustworthy to people because they are more accessible. They don't write in stilted formal language, they don't have degrees and certifications that are off-putting. I fall into all of those highly-educated categories but I do understand why content creators are trusted. They're real.
Why are degrees and certifications “off-putting?” I understand contextualizing complex topics and using plain language, but I disagree that “accessibility” is a huge issue. You can bring a camel to water, but you can’t force it to drink.
I don't know why. But they are, and it's well-supported in voting patterns since the 1990s where education level has steadily become a stronger and more reliable indicator than just about anything else.