You've probably noticed: it's getting harder to know who to believe.
Should we trust a crowd of anonymous strangers online? A popular influencer? A credentialed expert? The question sounds simple until you start looking at actual cases.
Online crowds aren't always wrong. Experts aren't always right. Institutions sometimes lie. Anonymous strangers sometimes tell the truth. And, yes, online crowds sometimes destroy innocent lives with false accusations.
What we once trusted is collapsing faster than we can adapt. We're all watching this unfold in real time.
But here’s the thing: neither the experts nor the crowds have a monopoly on truth. Neither can be trusted blindly.
The wisdom of online crowds—rightly or wrongly—is eroding the authority of experts and our trust in them. Navigating this new era of distrust requires understanding both crowdsourcing and institutional corruption.
I don’t have all the answers. But I’m looking. Join me.
🚀 Launch Date
November 27, 2025
Crowdwits first email newsletter will be delivered to your inbox on Nov 27th.
I’ll explore the case that shaped my research on crowdsouring criminology: the disappearance of Emma Fillipoff from downtown Victoria, British Columbia—13 years ago on Nov 28, 2012. Her case remains unsolved.
Nine University of Victoria students and I took part in the search for Emma as part of a CBC The Fifth Estate investigation. That work led to the academic article, “Crowdsourcing Criminology.”
In this first issue, I revisit Emma’s case and why the search must continue.
‘Finding Emma’ CBC The Fifth Estate (2014)
Emma: Time of Disapperance (2012)
Emma: 10 Year Age Progression (Hew Morrison Forensic Art, 2023)
📌 What’s Coming
November 27 — Emma Fillipoff and the rise of crowdsourcing criminology
December 11 — Institutional corruption: Why we've stopped trusting experts
December 18 — 2025: Year in Review
✦ Holiday Break ✦
Resumes January 8, 2026 — New issues every two weeks thereafter
🔍 Sneak Peek: December 11
Institutional Corruption: Why We've Stopped Trusting Experts
I've studied institutional corruption for 15 years. But just last week, I found myself applying it somewhere unexpected: aliens.
Stay with me.
If aliens existed, would it matter who told you?
Would you need to see them with your own eyes? Would a government announcement be enough? A leaked video? A scientist's testimony? A Reddit thread with 10,000 upvotes?
This thought experiment reveals something real: institutional corruption has so deeply eroded our trust that many of us no longer know who to believe—about anything.
How does this connect to everyday expertise and the professionals we're supposed to trust?
That’s the December 11 issue. Subscribe and find out.
- Garry C. Gray
