Listening to Strangers
March 16, 2010 by Nathan
BusinessWeek’s latest article about a lawsuit Yelp is now facing for “mingling ads and reviews” struck at an issue that has concerned me for some time. The suit claims that Yelp highlights negative reviews unless business owners agree to advertise. The article goes on to describe the atmosphere online like the “Wild West,” contending that businesses are now trying to manipulate reviews to their advantage.
It’s a serious charge that calls into question the integrity not only of Yelp, but also of the truth of any online content. I attended a social media conference last year and in one of the better sessions, someone questioned the accuracy of online “news” that comes by way of non-news outlets. The concern was that with the immediacy of networks like Twitter, misinformation, rumor and even lies can spread quickly. The counter to this point was that the online community would ultimately blackball someone for this kind of activity and “self regulate.”
Wall Street has pretty much put an end to the “self regulation” argument in any application (credit default swap, anyone?), and the Yelp lawsuit illustrates what may be the Achilles’ heel for social media and user-generated content. Which is that you really can’t trust people you don’t know. And you never know the financial motive behind the content.
I have seen the positive impact that social networking and online tools can have. They are an important addition to this profession. But the Internet allows for anonymity, and you don’t really know someone you’ve never met.
Say what you will about journalism as we have known it, but at least the pursuit of truth for some reporters was its own motivation. Unfortunately, that’s an ideal we seem to be moving further away from. Particularly when we are willing to listen to – and believe – total strangers.
Photo credit: powerbooktrance
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