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More than eight in 10 Australians are worried that fake or manipulated reviews are becoming more prevalent online, according to a new report from digital media company Oysterly Media that points to a deepening crisis of trust across the digital information ecosystem.
The Changing Landscape of Discovery and Trust report, which surveyed 1,200 Australians in the first quarter of 2026, found 81.3 per cent of respondents are concerned about the growth of fake or manipulated reviews, while 77.8 per cent say it is increasingly difficult to distinguish sponsored content from independent editorial.
Almost three-quarters of those surveyed - 72.2 per cent - are concerned that artificial intelligence will make it even harder to identify trustworthy content online, with 81.5 per cent calling for AI-generated images and videos to be clearly labelled.
The findings paint a picture of consumers actively working harder to verify what they encounter online.
Some 82.5 per cent of respondents say they now check more than one source before making a purchase, while 45 per cent say knowing what to trust is one of the hardest parts of searching online.
Gen Z has emerged as the most sceptical generation but also the most active in seeking verification signals.
Among Gen Z respondents, 27.8 per cent say they seek out real user-experience videos before buying, 22.1 per cent look for legitimacy signals such as verified badges or official brand accounts, and 20.9 per cent look for product photos shared on social media by other consumers.
The report also finds that younger Australians are increasingly turning away from mainstream social media feeds in favour of niche communities when making purchase decisions.
Some 63.6 per cent of Gen Z respondents and 57.1 per cent of Millennials say they prefer niche communities over mainstream feeds, compared with 41.7 per cent of Gen X.
Melissa Laurie, CEO of the Australian founded and now Singapore-based Oysterly Media, says the erosion of trust is not confined to any single platform or content format.
"Our research makes clear is that the trust crisis is a daily reality for Australians trying to make informed decisions right now," she says.
"The volume of content online has never been higher, but confidence in that content is at an all-time low.
"It is also concerning that almost 80 per cent of respondents find it difficult to tell sponsored content from genuine editorial."
Laurie notes that AI is not creating the trust crisis, but "accelerating it".
"When nearly three quarters of Aussies are worried about distinguishing AI content from the real thing, and when the journalists producing that content share many of the same concerns, we are looking at a structural challenge across the entire information ecosystem," she says.
However, Laurie says the shift represents both a challenge and an opportunity for brands willing to prioritise authenticity and transparency.
"The opportunity for brands is to demonstrate authenticity and become easier to verify through creator content, real demonstrations, community signals and visible evidence," she says.
"Gen Z and Millennials are not waiting to be told a brand is trustworthy. They want to see real experiences by real people."
The report's findings align with broader industry data on declining trust in online information.
The Edelman 2026 Australian Trust Barometer found 57 per cent of Australians trust influencer recommendations, rising to 62 per cent among younger demographics, while the Medianet 2026 Australian Media Landscape Report found 54 per cent of journalists now use generative AI in their work, with 93 per cent expressing concern about AI's impact on media integrity.
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