Rehumanizing Trust
How trust is fractured in digital life - and how we rebuild it
Steve C Landes
Description
Why do our systems no longer feel human? An exploration of how trust erodes – quietly and systemically – across digital platforms, institutional cultures and everyday interactions.
Drawing together insights from cybersecurity, systems thinking, leadership, trauma studies and social change, Rehumanizing Trust reveals how our trust instincts are exploited by systems built for compliance, not care. But it also offers a way forward: a path to reclaim trust as a relational architecture rooted in presence, memory and mutual risk.
At a time when artificial intelligence, institutional distrust and emotional fatigue are reshaping our lives, this book is both a companion for those trying to stay human in systems that prioritize performance over presence and a practical handbook for professionals grappling with ethical and relational crises.
Endorsements
‘A must read for those of us who want to leave a better future for the next generation.’ – Meeta Sengupta
‘A book about technology that’s actually about people.’ – Urmi Dutta-Roy
‘A thought-provoking exploration of how trust fractures but can be rebuilt in an increasingly digital world.’ – Beth Petrie
Contents
Table of Contents
Preface
PART I – Between Worlds
Chapter 1 – Living Between Two Worlds
Chapter 2 – Identity in a World of Logins
Chapter 3 – Noble Intentions, Darker Realities
PART II – The Case for Humanised Trust
Chapter 4 – What Machines Miss
Chapter 5 – Diginalogue
Chapter 6 – Weaponised Trust
Chapter 7 – Learning to Build
Chapter 8 – Leading Through the Fog
Chapter 9 – Systems of Belief vs Control
Chapter 10 – Orders of Magnitude
PART III – Reclaiming the Human in the Machine
Chapter 11 – Designing for the Edge
Chapter 12 – Decolonising Trust/ More-than-Human Covenant
Chapter 13 – Building Trust
Chapter 14 – Withdrawal, Refusal, Rewilding
Conclusion – The Human Future
Editions
FORMAT / ISBN / PUBLICATION DATE / RRP
Paperback / 9781805760061 / September 15, 2026 / £14.99
Hardback / 9781805760054 / September 15, 2026 / £24.99
Ebook / 9781805760078 / September 14, 2026 / £7.99
Paperback and eBook Bundle / £16.99
Authors
Steve C Landes
Steven C Landes is a seasoned cybersecurity leader, former campaign analyst and systems strategist with over a decade of experience navigating complex institutional, digital and human terrains. His career spans cyber threat intelligence, criminal counseling and executive engagement across healthcare, finance and national security sectors.
A Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) with an MBA in Strategic Thinking, Steve brings a rare blend of technical acumen and human insight to questions of digital trust and systemic change.
