An Examination of Consumers Social Media Trust in the Wake of the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica Scandal

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore and track changes in consumer trust on Facebook during the company’s ongoing scandal. This study examines the scandal between Facebook and Cambridge Analytica with the data mining of 87 million Facebook consumers. The hypothesis of this study states as follows: The Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal will result in little to no harm or damage to Facebooks reputation and consumers will continue to use the platform knowing that their data is being taken. The conclusion has been determined that after the scandal broke, the decrease in the user rate of Facebook was so small that it will make little to no noticeable damage to Facebook’s profits or reputation that affects the user rate of the platform.