Are We Outsourcing Our Decisions to Algorithms and Ratings?
Most of us spend a lot of our time online these days. Consequently, we’re influenced by what we see. What we’re not necessarily aware of, though, at least not consciously, is that when we browse the internet, algorithms immediately start to influence what appears in front of us.
This manifests as news stories and items of interest tailored to the person using the connective device. For instance, if you click on an article about a new restaurant that recently opened near you, your feed will soon be modified so that similar stories appear when you turn on your computer. The algorithm assumes that’s the kind of content you want to see.
What you see when you browse online also influences your real-world behavior. That’s because many people now decide what to try, eat, buy, watch, or otherwise interact with based on rankings, star ratings, and similar rubrics. In other words, most individuals are likely to trust what’s written online when making a consumer decision.
This brings up a central question: are you making a better, more informed choice based on online feedback, or are you handing over decision-making to aggregated opinions and algorithms?
How Ratings Impact the Decisions You Make
Years ago, before the internet existed, people made decisions based on other information sources. For example, you might have decided to purchase a new refrigerator based on what your brother-in-law said at dinner about that particular model.
You may have chosen whether or not to see a movie based on what a critic said about it in the newspaper. Perhaps you felt more comfortable buying a specific car model after renting one while on vacation.
As the internet rose to prominence and people spent more time online, they gradually began to trust websites and message boards more to impact their real-world decisions. Sites like Trustpilot were created. There, a consumer could see what others thought about a product, service, website, or just about anything else.
Star ratings became a popular method for consumers to give feedback. Ranking systems became the norm in a variety of industries. This, in turn, gave rise to “best of” lists.
Listicle-style articles were created ostensibly to help consumers avoid information overload. Most people who wanted to quickly decide what product to buy or service to use appreciated them. They allowed such would-be buyers or users to save time that they would have otherwise spent comparison shopping. Convenience was just as essential as the time such lists saved.
Humans Feel a Powerful Urge to Follow the Herd
Source: Freepik
There’s a psychological factor at play regarding star ratings, review sites, and similar concepts that ultimately boils down to this: most humans want to follow the herd. This is another way of saying that consensus often makes one feel better than individual judgment.
The term “wisdom of the crowd” is sometimes used to describe this phenomenon. It means that humans inherently feel more comfortable deciding on something or settling on a viewpoint when the overwhelming majority of others feel the same way.
This can lead someone to feel more secure about seeing a movie, going to a restaurant, buying a new fridge, and so on. If everyone else likes a service, product, or piece of entertainment, aren’t you more inclined to enjoy it as well?
Social proof also ties into this. People like to copy others’ behavior because they feel it’s normal or conventional. They’re reassured they’re doing the right thing if they know most other people are behaving in that way.
Often, people trust aggregated feedback more than they do their own judgment. It can be very hard to fight against this. If you do, you’re going against the crowd, and that makes you stand out as abnormal or unusual. Society tends to frown on that.
How Algorithms Have Become a Part of Daily Life
Earlier, we mentioned how algorithms affect what you see online, unless you take drastic measures to disable them. Modern connected devices, whether smartphones, tablets, desktops, or something else, are infused with software that uses these algorithms.
It’s supposed to be for convenience, and generally, people don’t mind it. If you follow a particular sports team and you enjoy reading stories about it, you’ll likely find it acceptable or even desirable if stories about that team show up in your personalized feed when you turn on your device.
There are also recommendation engines that go to work when you log into your account on a massive online market like Amazon. These engines feed you suggestions as to what you might want to buy based on what you’ve either purchased or looked at before.
This also happens through PPC marketing. An ad for frozen treats you can buy via Uber Eats is likely to be shown to you if you looked up the nearest ice cream parlor on Google Maps the previous day.
In a sense, algorithms can decide what companies, products, and services you’re likely to engage with, even if you’re not fully aware of it. If you Google a phrase like “the best new Indian restaurants near me,” and the results include a recent article from a high-ranking website, you’re likely to choose one of those places to eat. You might not ever consider other Indian restaurants in your area that don’t appear on the list.
Review Culture Is Impactful in Other Areas as Well
Source: Freepik
We’ve mentioned some of the more obvious ways algorithms and review culture can impact your day-to-day life. However, there are other, subtler ways they can guide the decision-making process.
Maybe you’re thinking about taking a vacation this summer, but you’re not sure where to go. Since you’re not dating anyone at the moment, you Google “the best tropical vacations for singles.”
Google’s AI will generate a list of results, and you might also look at the top two or three websites that pop up. These websites may feature the listicle-style articles that we’ve mentioned.
You might decide where to go based on a few minutes of research. The most attractive options will emerge from what the algorithm you engaged with chose to show you. You’ve basically handed over decision-making power to it.
Such behavior is evident elsewhere as well. Maybe you’re looking for a new online casino to try. You might decide which one to sign up with based on what a trusted aggregator site tells you.
Reading CasinoHawks’ review of Mega Riches and seeing that particular casino has an overall score of 94% out of 100 might be enough for you to create an account and play there. You’re outsourcing your trust to an aggregator in a narrow field of interest.
Local Judgment Should Still Be a Part of the Decision-Making Process
This isn’t an article denouncing the evils of algorithms, social proof, or any of the related concepts we’ve mentioned. Many people like having their feeds tailored so that they get content that is of interest to them. They also appreciate listicle-style articles and aggregate sites because they save them time and energy.
However, it’s probably a mistake to completely remove personal experience from the equation. Algorithmic consensus is nice to have, but if you talk to a trusted friend who saw a movie or visited a restaurant and didn’t like the experience, you might decide to trust them more than what the internet says.
Lived experience should still matter when you’re deciding where to go or what to spend your money on. Personal knowledge and information given to you by trusted real-life sources might win out, even if you’re going against the grain by the actions you consequently decide to take.
Balance Lived Experience with Algorithmic Decision-Making
If you realize both the advantages and limitations of algorithms and ratings-based decision-making, then you should be better positioned to live a life where you’re not completely giving up autonomy. Algorithms and reviews are powerful tools, but you needn’t blindly follow what they tell you to do. Ultimately, the final decision should be yours, regardless of what anyone else says.
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