“Things I’ve Learned from Lately” is a regular compilation of articles that have made me a smarter marketer. Hopefully, they’ll help you, too.

The Risks of Automation – Nicholas Carr writes in The Atlantic about the potential risk we’ve taken on by putting too much trust in machines. Over-automation in the world of flight has led to a “de-skilling of the crew,” but flight is just a symptom of a larger trend of work shifting to machines and software, making the skills to complete tasks hidden to humans. This leads to problems of complacency and placing too much trust in where we get information.

The Online Review Black Market - Susan Seligson writes about the risks marketers face based on a recent study finding that 16% of online reviews are fake. In this piece, Seligson interviews co-author of the study, Georgios Zervas, on the findings.

Consumers and the Mutual Value Exchange - eMarketer reported findings of a TRUSTe study that found that 90% of US Internet users have taken action to protect their privacy. However, 41% say they are willing to provide personal data in exchange for discounts on goods and services. This points to the need for marketers to make the value exchange explicit whenever requesting anything from consumers.