"Five stars used to mean something. People still read reviews before buying software. They just don't trust them the way they used to. And no, this isn't about fake reviews or obvious scams. Those are easy to spot. The real problem is more uncomfortable. The review economy didn't collapse. It slowly drifted away from its original purpose. User reviews began as authentic buyer guidance, but they've morphed into strategic assets for businesses."
"If you rate them a 9 or 10 (a promoter), you're immediately nudged to post a public review. If you give a lukewarm or low score, the feedback form quietly thanks you and never mentions writing a review at all. It's essentially filtering which customers get invited to leave a review based on their initial feedback. Platforms officially frown on it (Google outright forbids "selectively soliciting positive reviews"), but behind closed doors it remains a growth hacker's favorite trick."
User reviews shifted from authentic buyer guidance to strategic commercial assets. App stores and e-commerce sites now overflow with top-rated products, making high averages ubiquitous and less informative. Consumer trust fell sharply, with trust in online reviews versus personal recommendations dropping from nearly 80% in 2020 to 42% in 2025. Companies and platforms encourage positive public reviews from satisfied customers while diverting negative feedback to private channels or support teams. Selective solicitation and containment of complaints produce a skewed public record of overwhelmingly positive testimonials, reducing the evidentiary value of star ratings for purchase decisions.
Read at TNW | Opinion
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