Imagine that the afternoon falls and prepares to go to dinner. This time decides to put aside the usual. Nothing of the same places as always. Today he prefers intense and new flavors. Almost as a revelation, Korean cuisine appears as a possible option in its head. Although he does not know where to go, he already has a clear starting point. It is probably guided by platforms such as Google Reviews or TripAdvisor. In seconds, dozens of alternatives, scores, photos and above all, an exorbitant amount of opinions of strangers appear before their eyes. These review platforms function as a first filter, on many occasions. And in the last two decades they have become a kind of digital compass for thousands of users. On the Internet, what is said (or writes) spreads quickly. Words and images run at accelerated rhythms, cross screens and borders. When something goes viral, you can raise a restaurant, a product or a tourist destination to stardom or condemn it to ostracism. It is what is known as Electronic Word of Mouth or Ewom. The reviews function as the old mouth to mouth, but with a force multiplied by millions. Five -star comments – that are written in seconds after a satisfactory or negative experience – have become, for some time, an important source of information for users. On some occasions, they guide decisions and even influence routines. A survey of 1,000 people in 2024 revealed that 60% of Spaniards consult the reviews at least once a month and 73% of them believe that opinions have an impact on their decision. In the United States, 93 % of customers are dedicated to reading local businesses to determine their quality. These valuations have always been important, even before the Internet existed. More information about companies are not only interested in appearing in mass media and guides, but also in trivial conversations. «They know that and dominate,» he adds. The most popular review platforms vary according to industry and the country. Google, TripAdvisor, Amazon, Booking or Facebook, all share something in common: an experience told in a foreign voice, even if it is anonymous (and perhaps misleading). That old habit of telling a friend where we ate well or which product disappointed us, has been amplified to become a powerful tool. There are brief, descriptive and impulsive opinions. There are unimaginable places and others that are thrown too many flowers and praises. Maybe, too good to be true. Inma Rodríguez-Sardua, Professor of Digital Marketing at the Oberta University of Catalonia, believes that many users often opt for those roads instead of the direct information of the companies. «As consumers we are making a decision alone. Other people's opinions give us the feeling of a certain company,» he says. That is known as social presence. This influence occurs in each of the phases of the decision process. Despite this, not all reviews are relevant. Users, Rodríguez-Suchua explains, evaluate the reviews for quantity. «An excessive number can be artificial,» emphasizes the expert. Also if too much variability is observed between the opinions expressed. «We are not able to see if that product is good or bad,» he says. Artificial intelligence has also made his own. Both to generate opinions and to detect their veracity. «The most important thing is honesty. A good reputation will take care that this virality flows,» says Alcaide. And he adds: «He catches a liar before a lame.»
It is a number
Evaluate, categorize and measure. Whenever we find ourselves online, we will be broadcasting and receiving evaluations. A review consists only of comments accompanied by valuations that go on an ascending numerical scale. It is a quantitative assessment of a site in star format, traffic light or point. «It is a number, the rest is advertising,» says María Sicilia Piñeiro, a professor of marketing at the University of Murcia, about the videos that appear on social networks such as Tiktok or Instagram. «The influencers tend to recommend positively and are often promoted. They should use the hashtag of 'collaboration for',» she suggests. Two years ago, Silvia Leal, doctor in Sociology and OECD advisor, had a problem with the installation of solar panels at home. She chose to write a negative review of the service, but every time she did, her comment disappeared. “It's a fictional world and you have to learn to manage them [los comentarios] With intelligence and a lot of patience, «this digital innovation expert.» This world demands a more critical spirit than we had so far, «he says.» Right now instead of having a television ad, you have the reviews. And instead of actors recommending a product you have an influencer, ”he reflects. The generation Z onwards tends to look for information in the videos.“ Those of us who have more than 30 use pages like Google, but now Chatgpt also works as a search engine and helps to make a decision, ”explains Piñeiro. Although this expert points out that friends are still the most influential network. They choose or not to a certain couple through an application, how are you not going to do the same with a restaurant or film, «says Loyal. An analysis of the University of Northwestern (USA) detected that the probability of purchase of a product with five reviews is 270% greater than that of one without comments.
The places we don't know
Digital platforms have generated codes and have changed the way people communicate, but they are also reported. They are the platforms – not technology as an abstract concept – with specific designs, which generate practices that are made, in the long run, irremediably massive. «When you do a review, you are working for TripAdvisor. The way you pay you in quotes is with your personal satisfaction of expressing your opinion,» says sociologist Javier de Rivera, professor at the University of Vigo. The socioeconomic mechanism related to the reviews is that they create a «very pleasant space» so that the user can share things. «It is an artificial environment designed to capture the value of the public,» says De Rivera. A mobile does not socialize users, but platforms such as Google Reviews or TripAdvisor do. They modify languages, create meanings and those codes are not generated by a device spontaneously. Stefania Milan, professor of critical data studies at the University of Amsterdam, has been investigating how the platforms structure our interactions and make them data that are then monetized. «Study how large technology companies, through their infrastructure, mediate and even reconfigure the conditions of social life,» says. «Social platforms today not only connect us, they also mold us with those who interact, as we do and even where we are going,» he explains. The reviews have radically transformed how we experience physical spaces. She herself acknowledges that you use Google Reviews to choose «a good restaurant» of Italian food. «If something has 2.5 stars, you are likely to avoid it,» he jokes. A lower rating of 3.5 «is unacceptable» for 75% of users in Spain. Milán and Rivera agree that homogenizes the experiences by making users feel part of a collective experience. «There are so many, they are massive and with different modalities to move through space,» says the sociologist. This can be useful, because it facilitates time and saves decisions. But also «the reviews have transformed our spontaneous interaction with physical and social spaces, especially the cities that we do not know,» says Milan.
