Swayed by the Crowd
Before I check a book out of the library, I do two things: I read the first few pages, and I check the rating on Goodreads. I look for books with at least a 3.5 rating and read the last few reviews, trying to pick out one or two 2-star reviews and one or two 4-star reviews. If I click with the first few pages but the ratings are low, I’ll usually still check out the book. But if you needed a reason for why you shouldn’t look at ratings first, Erin McKeown wrote about a famous study that proves how other people’s ratings influence human opinion.
[Hint: click over to read about the study because it’s super interesting and hard to summarize.]
She writes: “I get it, there’s an element of social belonging in liking the same things as other people, but once the boulder starts rolling, it’s hard for other rocks to get noticed.”
The author or musician or filmmaker who gets those first low reviews may receive additional low reviews because the next people who come along are influenced by the opinion of the first random people vs. their own feelings about the work. And then YOU are harmed just as much as the artist because you miss out on great work.
I can think of so many books that fit this description. Fair Play by Louise Hegarty. It was one of the most profound mysteries I’ve ever read; I still think about it. The reviews I saw on Goodreads clearly missed the point of what the book is actually about. You think it’s a mystery; it is something so much deeper than that. I think anyone who has lost someone important will read this book in a very different way once they get the twist.
Would I have given it a chance if I had seen the ratings before I read the first pages? Probably not, in all honesty. And I would have missed out on a profound story.
Erin always gives food for thought. One of the most talented writers (and musicians) I’ve read/heard.
2 comments
I haven’t read the articles yet, but if I go over to read them, there’s no guarantee I’ll get back here to comment! lol
The ONLY ratings I take any notice of are those of my friends who read, and who have similar tastes to myself. Not identical. I remember early on in our bookclub, way back in the 90s, there was one book that everyone raved about, the shock ending, etc. I’d seen it coming, and thought, “meh!” We still have lively debates about books, but I know ultimately we have similar tastes, though far from identical, in good books. One friends’ favourite writer is definitely not mine! lol
I need to know what I have in common with good reviews. So I’m more likely to take notice of a review on our National Radio programme or in a newspaper (the Guardian does great reviews) than of anonymous people on Goodreads.
So I almost never look at the overall rating. Also, I still consider a three star rating a good rating for me – a GOOD book that I would recommend, but that maybe just didn’t sit perfectly for me. So I would still read one that my friends recommended with three stars.
The only time I look at ratings is when I’m picking books for the Young Adult Book Club PD class I co-run with the school librarian, because there’s a handful of teachers who always ask what the stars are. And, when I finish a book. I don’t really check out reviews before then (unless I find it on a booklist), because so often they have spoilers! And like you said, your taste or understanding may be different than those who post reviews. I have to go read the article now, but that’s so interesting!