In this project, I examined the relationship between lockdowns implemented by COVID-19 and the activity of animals in urban areas. I hypothesized that animals became more active in urban areas during COVID-19 quarantine than they were before and I wanted to see if my hypothesis could be researched through Twitter crowdsourcing. I began by collecting tweets using python code, but upon examining all data output from code-based searches, I concluded that it is quicker and more efficient to use the advanced search on Twitter website. Based on my research, I can neither confirm nor deny if the appearance of wild animals is due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. However, I was able to discover a correlational relationship between these two factors in some research cases. Although my findings are mixed with regard to my original hypothesis, the impact that this phenomenon had on society cannot be denied.

The majority of trust research has focused on the benefits trust can have for individual actors, institutions, and organizations. This “optimistic bias” is particularly evident in work focused on institutional trust, where concepts such as procedural justice, shared values, and moral responsibility have gained prominence. But trust in institutions may not be exclusively good. We reveal implications for the “dark side” of institutional trust by reviewing relevant theories and empirical research that can contribute to a more holistic understanding. We frame our discussion by suggesting there may be a “Goldilocks principle” of institutional trust, where trust that is too low (typically the focus) or too high (not usually considered by trust researchers) may be problematic. The chapter focuses on the issue of too-high trust and processes through which such too-high trust might emerge. Specifically, excessive trust might result from external, internal, and intersecting external-internal processes. External processes refer to the actions institutions take that affect public trust, while internal processes refer to intrapersonal factors affecting a trustor’s level of trust. We describe how the beneficial psychological and behavioral outcomes of trust can be mitigated or circumvented through these processes and highlight the implications of a “darkest” side of trust when they intersect. We draw upon research on organizations and legal, governmental, and political systems to demonstrate the dark side of trust in different contexts. The conclusion outlines directions for future research and encourages researchers to consider the ethical nuances of studying how to increase institutional trust.

Based on existing research, state wildlife agencies should be diversifying their management activities to reflect both utilitarian and biocentric values. Yet agencies are still focused primarily on managing land and wildlife resources for hunting and fishing, partly because of revenues associated with permits and licenses (Jacobson et al., 2022; Manfredo, 2008). My research examines the values which state agencies emphasize in managing wildlife and engaging the public. Public-facing agency webpages are one way to investigate the values that drive agencies’ management priorities and activities. By looking at how information is represented on their main webpages, one can infer who the intended audience is, and which values guide their actions. Thus, my research aims to analyze how state management activities and associated information—as featured on their websites—represent public wildlife values and the trend away from utilitarianism (especially hunting and fishing) toward protectionism through wildlife conservation. Specifically, I ask: How do state-level wildlife agencies present and communicate wildlife management issues and reflect their different wildlife values—ranging from utilitarianism with emphasis on recreational use and enjoyment by people toward mutualist benefits that also protect wildlife—through their websites?