The Data-Value Exchange: Reframing Trust in Technology
In today’s algorithm-driven world, personalisation is both a promise and a problem. Consumers want tailored experiences, there’s no question about that. A playlist that matches the mood, a curated travel suggestion that sparks excitement, or a product recommendation that feels intuitive can all feel like digital magic. But the magic disappears the moment personalisation starts feeling intrusive rather than helpful.
Algorithms are getting personalisation wrong. Rather than making people feel seen, they make them feel stalked. The eerie accuracy of hyper-targeted ads and content recommendations creates a perception of being monitored, rather than understood. The very technology designed to enhance digital experiences is eroding trust in the process.
The Illusion of choice
More than half of social media users in the UK are finding content controls ineffective according to Ofcom research. This aligns with our findings that consumers increasingly feel like they have little control over the algorithms shaping their online experiences. Unlike physical devices in their homes, which they can choose to connect or disconnect, digital personalisation is often an invisible force shaping their interactions, whether they like it or not. Instead of feeling empowered, consumers feel trapped in cycles of sameness, with their preferences dictated by predictive systems rather than personal agency.
At its core, personalisation should feel like freedom: a tool that enables people to curate their digital worlds on their own terms. Instead, it often feels like surveillance disguised as convenience. This tension between freedom and tracking is at the heart of the personalisation paradox.
People also want their devices and services to work together in ways that enhance their lives, even if that means breaking the binds of brand ecosystems. Our research uncovered that consumers are frustrated by closed systems, and welcome changes to interoperability rules - such as Apple’s Car Air Play allowing YouTube music to be played, rather than binding people to one ecosystem. This comes from the increased expectations of tech brands to deliver on the promises made around ‘seamlessness’. They want their smart devices (especially at home but also in moving around the world with them), their apps, and digital services to talk to each other regardless of these brand boundaries.
From data privacy to data intimacy
Our research on Gen Z and millennials highlighted a profound shift in their relationship to technology compared to older generations. We uncovered a new trust in technology, where consumers are willing to share their information if they see a clear benefit in return: we think of it as a “mutual data back scratch” or a Data Value Exchange. The goal is to make their lives easier and more seamless, which has even extended into parasocial relationships with AI being seen as a friend that’s always there.
“I have started to be less sceptical about AI…
It’s my clever organised friend.”
Stan, Gen Z Man
“When I’m feeling low, I talk to ChatGPT,
I can chose a likeable voice and get an
empathetic considered response as
I often feel like I a burden if I talk to
friends about my problems.”
Matt, Young Parent
Another example in our research with new parents, is that consumers are relying on AI more, even using tech as a third parent to help them unlock time to be more present in the parenting moments that count.
“The main thing is peace of mind.
By having a baby wearable device
connected to my phone in bed,
I don’t have to get up and sleep longer,
so it makes me a better parent,
I’m more present.”
Casey, Gen Z Young Parent
Reframing Personalisation
When it came to building a seamless lives, we hear time and time again that consumers would happily give away their data in exchange for truly personalised experiences, however, not all online experiences have that trust.
If brands want to regain consumer trust, they must redefine personalisation as a value exchange - one based on transparency, control, and meaningful benefits.
To achieve this, brands need to prioritise two key actions:
Offer clear choice – Consumers must have real agency over their data. Opting in, opting out, and customising data-sharing preferences should be seamless and intuitive. This builds confidence and makes consumers feel like active participants rather than passive data points.
Be transparent and ethical – Data collection should not feel like a hidden trade-off. Consumers are highly aware of the technical and complex operations working behind the scenes: they want to know what data is being gathered, why, and how it benefits them. When brands are transparent, trust grows, and personalisation becomes a service, not a scheme.
The Data-Value Exchange in Action
When brands get this balance right, personalisation stops feeling invasive, and starts to feel intuitive, relevant, and consumer-driven. Netflix is the classic but continuous example of using Machine Learning to personalise the viewing experience. Research shows that one of the key reasons many consumers choose it as their default video streaming platform is how they tailor subscribers’ content to the top of the homepage carousels. One of the first actions a consumer takes is to add a few titles to “jump start their recommendations”. This means consumers know and expect that personalisation will takes place for their benefit. In exchange for their streaming data, they feel like they can choose what to watch more easily.
We uncovered that consumers want more data intimacy in exchange for their data privacy. They want the focus to be on personal value and effortless experiences. They know their data is a currency with real value, and they expect to spend it wisely, not be forced into fragmented, brand-specific ecosystems.
At its core, personalisation should not be something done to consumers but something created with them. Brands that fail to recognise this shift will struggle to earn and retain trust in an era of digital scepticism.
The challenge is clear: move beyond passive tracking and into active collaboration. The future of personalisation is not about better predictions, it’s about better partnerships between brands and consumers. That’s the key to turning algorithms from stalkers into trusted allies.
This is just the beginning. Our upcoming whitepaper, Beyond the Algorithm,
dives deeper into how brands can reframe trust in 2025.
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