On Reviews
I find myself looking for reviews of things very often. Restaurants, music, movies, clothing brands… really any and everything. I want everything in my life to be worth the effort and worth the money. Why waste my time on a subpar experience or a bad product? I should learn from others, and it’s very likely that if other people enjoy something, then I'll like it too.
This all falls apart when I remember I have never written a review myself and I don’t think I know of anyone in my life who has. Who are the people writing these reviews? And why are they writing the review? Sometimes, you spend time scrolling through reviews and see a spattering of negative takes that are very nit-picky. Some bad service here, a damaged package there. These reviews bring the average down. I know this happens a lot, but I can’t help look at the review and think “Wow, 4.2 stars isn’t as good as some other products”. Other times, I get the smell that the reviews isn't real. It feels like a paid sponsorship. In a world when almost everything is sponsored, how do I know if a review is legit or not?
I am someone who has stumbled on things by accident and loved them, only to find out later that people have mixed opinions on the things I love. My knee-jerk reaction is to enjoy the thing less. Which sucks! I liked it before, why would other peoples opinions matter now? And, again, who are these people? Are they anything like me? Do they even share my tastes or experiences? If an album's lyrics spoke to me, and I found the music amazing, who are they to say I am wrong?
So I think, going forward, I need to go into more things blind. Or, at least, know who my peers are who recommend something. I need to be okay with having some bad experiences, and some bad purchases, so I can find more of what I really enjoy.