More and more pissed about reviews and threads

[mgmueller]

I don't mean threads in this forum.

But in general, I have to get very personal for a brief moment:
I just read (or better: I tried to read) some reviews of a book in Google Play (but same happens in iTunes and other similar forums as well of course).
After maybe 20 so called "reviews" I stopped quite frustrated for some time.
Most of them have been full of helpful and substantial insights such as:
"Too expensive".
"Old book, why should I pay for it?"
And I had the very same with a movie:
"For € 3 I can have the DVD, why should I rent this movie?".
Hey, I want to have a review. Not your life's story!

And I've read similar reviews about hardware:
I'd like to see comparisons of displays or processing speed. But I don't need "philosophical" disputes, whether "tablets are good" or not...

And, worst of all, most of the book reviews (German Google Play, German book, German reviews) have been on the grammatical and intellectual level of 7 year olds.

In such moments, I really ask myself:
Are there mainly ignorants around in the areas of my hobbies (tablets, readers, ...)?
My personal gut feeling really is, with the price drops of tablets and other gadgets suddenly there are people around, which are a bit dubious.
Most of you probably will say: "Why bother? Just move on".
But honestly, I'm really getting annoyed. First thing, when opening Google Play and browsing for apps: I'm quickly loosing interest and it's getting less fun, because of more and more negativity and aggression...

Best review so far: "iPhone 5 is too expensive. Apple slowly is getting like all the other corporates, mainly interested in making money".
I really wasn't sure, whether that was meant in an ironic way. But I really got the impresion, this guy was serious. Well, he's certainly right. Apple, a few years ago, has been a general welfare organisation. But shame on them: Suddenly they care about profits and stuff.

I could ramble on forever.
But basically I'd like to have your feedback:
Am I the only one, who's getting pissed about the ever growing rate of negative, aggressive and subjective reviews and threads?
(You might say, my thread here is kind of aggressive as well and I certainly see this kind of "vicious circle")...

[DustyDisks]

How many people on the earth breathing air? And each one has an opinion. Plus with the inter webs becoming more available to all. Plus the general state the world in general is in, we live in some scarey times. But that is not a topic of this thread.

Personal respect that people have for each other is going down hill, in general. And because of the internet, some find ways to "vent" in ways that they would not do in a person to person encounter.

With the way electronic toys are becoming a more important part of our life's, and people in general are becoming spoiled. And expect more and more for less. (?)

It used to be being civil, was a normal way of life.

I expect as in your op, we will see more of the same and worse.

Sorry to say.

[Namekuseijin]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

And, worst of all, most of the book reviews (German Google Play, German book, German reviews) have been on the grammatical and intellectual level of 7 year olds.

welcome to Idiocracy

it's a worldwide phenomenon: the internet gave voice to more morons you could hear in a lifetime. And they do enjoy whining and shouting aloud a lot.

[holymadness]

I haven't noticed an increase in negativity, but the Internet has definitely given a voice to a lot of morons who never would have been granted entry into curated media. Since most comments are neither vetted or ranked, the stupidest sits right next to the most enlightened as if they were both equal.

An inevitable consequence of giving more people a platform and a pulpit. The ignorant vastly outnumber the intelligent, whether online or in real life.

On the flip side, the ease of online communication (blogs, twitter, forums) has led to my discovering a lot of interesting writers I'm not sure I'd ever have encountered in the pages of Wired or The Atlantic.

[foghat]

Originally Posted by DustyDisks

How many people on the earth breathing air? And each one has an opinion.

Thing that really sucks is that most of them are wrong.

[Namekuseijin]

Originally Posted by foghat

Thing that really sucks is that most of them are wrong.

in your opinion

[foghat]

Originally Posted by Namekuseijin

in your opinion

The only one that counts. Right?

[joehunt]

Originally Posted by holymadness

I haven't noticed an increase in negativity, but the Internet has definitely given a voice to a lot of morons who never would have been granted entry into curated media. Since most comments are neither vetted or ranked, the stupidest sits right next to the most enlightened as if they were both equal.

They are both equal.

[hidari]

I posted this in and MR thread long ago, but it seems apt to repeat it here. Apparently this statement is attributed to a University of Stanford professor but to paraphrase:

You know how they say that if you take 50,000 monkeys and give them all keyboards that eventually they will type out the complete works of Shakespeare; well, The internet has proved them wrong.

[holymadness]

Originally Posted by joehunt

They are both equal.

?

Originally Posted by hidari

I posted this in and MR thread long ago, but it seems apt to repeat it here. Apparently this statement is attributed to a University of Stanford professor but to paraphrase:

You know how they say that if you take 50,000 monkeys and give them all keyboards that eventually they will type out the complete works of Shakespeare; well, The internet has proved them wrong.

More interesting, funny, and insightful stuff gets published on 4chan, reddit, The Onion, and around the blogosphere in a day than is published by most print media in a week. It's all about being able to filter noise.

[Penforhire]

Signal to noise ratio decreases as barriers to surfing the internet continue to lower. Yes, it is wonderful that the Geek Squad can even connect people whose IQ is also a hat size.

[speakingtohe]

One frequent and opinionated poster on MR stated that a backlist title which is one at least a year old and still commonly sold in bookstores is only worth at most $4.99 because it will contain many more errors than a frontlist book (which may be only days more recent).

Some books are good, some books not although others may feel differently. Date of original publication does not IMO have anything to do with quality of reading experience and worth of the book unless one feels entitled to a free ride because many others have read the book first. And I have never expected absolute perfection in editing, grammer, historical details or anything else in awork of fiction. I wouldn't read much if I obsessed over the small stuff.

So yes I am kind of pissed off at the concept of publication date or the odd typo determining a books value.

Helen

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by holymadness

More interesting, funny, and insightful stuff gets published on 4chan, reddit, The Onion, and around the blogosphere in a day than is published by most print media in a week.

The Onion is print media.

One understandable similarity it has to 4chan and reddit: No fact-checkers, and they don't print corrections.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by holymadness

?

More interesting, funny, and insightful stuff gets published on 4chan, reddit, The Onion, and around the blogosphere in a day than is published by most print media in a week. It's all about being able to filter noise.

Of course that completely depends on what you find interesting, funny, and insightful.

[Belfaborac]

Exactly the reason why I never, ever read reviews, except occasionally for the entertainment value. I do at times pay some minimal attention to aggregated review scores, but in the main I only buy books which I know that I want and so the reviews are superfluous to my requirements.