I remember when this article first came out, I saw the title and thought, "pfft yeah, probably the #1 restaurant in some random small town, big deal" and then was totally shocked when it ended up being London.
It's a bit of a goofy story overall, but I think the underlying message of how vulnerable many of these systems are to manipulation is an important one. We base so much of our lives now around the ratings and reviews that we see online that I don't think we even consider how much we might be getting manipulated that we don't even know about. The reviews/scores influence what things we buy from Amazon, what restaurants we go to (or avoid), which TV shows and movies we think might be worth watching, and so much more.
This is a really important takeaway. Also, humans are pretty bad at evaluating influencers, I think. A certain look or aesthetic goes a long way even if there's literally nothing behind it....
how vulnerable many of these systems are to manipulation is an important one.
This is a really important takeaway. Also, humans are pretty bad at evaluating influencers, I think. A certain look or aesthetic goes a long way even if there's literally nothing behind it. Instagram is also a great example of humans lacking good judgment and then money reinforcing that bad judgment with IG 'famous' travel bloggers.
The discussion about farm-to-table restaurants reminded me of this Vice video of a guy who gamed TripAdvisor reviews to become the number 1 restaurant in London. Except it was just tasteful...
The discussion about farm-to-table restaurants reminded me of this Vice video of a guy who gamed TripAdvisor reviews to become the number 1 restaurant in London. Except it was just tasteful pictures of his backyard and some fake reviews.
I loathe trip advisor, but being number 1 there is a pretty big deal. Stealing that slot is like stealing a Michelin Star.
That video was pretty hilarious. The fact he actually opened the "restaurant" for a night and served actual customers microwave food was the icing on the cake.
That video was pretty hilarious. The fact he actually opened the "restaurant" for a night and served actual customers microwave food was the icing on the cake.
I actually buy TripAdvisor's thoughts on the experiment (at the end of the video) - that essentially a real restaurant couldn't pull this off because it would have to contend with real customer...
I actually buy TripAdvisor's thoughts on the experiment (at the end of the video) - that essentially a real restaurant couldn't pull this off because it would have to contend with real customer reviews, not just fake ones.
It's also available in article form if you're like me and would rather read than watch a 20 minute video: https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/434gqw/i-made-my-shed-the-top-rated-restaurant-on-tripadvisor
I remember when this article first came out, I saw the title and thought, "pfft yeah, probably the #1 restaurant in some random small town, big deal" and then was totally shocked when it ended up being London.
It's a bit of a goofy story overall, but I think the underlying message of how vulnerable many of these systems are to manipulation is an important one. We base so much of our lives now around the ratings and reviews that we see online that I don't think we even consider how much we might be getting manipulated that we don't even know about. The reviews/scores influence what things we buy from Amazon, what restaurants we go to (or avoid), which TV shows and movies we think might be worth watching, and so much more.
This is a really important takeaway. Also, humans are pretty bad at evaluating influencers, I think. A certain look or aesthetic goes a long way even if there's literally nothing behind it. Instagram is also a great example of humans lacking good judgment and then money reinforcing that bad judgment with IG 'famous' travel bloggers.
The discussion about farm-to-table restaurants reminded me of this Vice video of a guy who gamed TripAdvisor reviews to become the number 1 restaurant in London. Except it was just tasteful pictures of his backyard and some fake reviews.
I loathe trip advisor, but being number 1 there is a pretty big deal. Stealing that slot is like stealing a Michelin Star.
That video was pretty hilarious. The fact he actually opened the "restaurant" for a night and served actual customers microwave food was the icing on the cake.
I actually buy TripAdvisor's thoughts on the experiment (at the end of the video) - that essentially a real restaurant couldn't pull this off because it would have to contend with real customer reviews, not just fake ones.
I sorta do to... but sorta don’t as well, since it’s just a matter of volume and fake reviews come cheap these days, as seen on Amazon.