The dynamics of place ratings: platforms, effects, and their discontents

Abstract

Abstract Digital place has been variously characterised as a set of online augmentations and representations that influence how physical places are imagined, cognised, and interacted with. In an evolving media ecosystem, star ratings enjoy a pervasive presence on platforms. Ratings provide information and alter people’s decision-making not only when choosing consumer products but also places. Focusing on numeric ratings, through a scoping review, this article (1) traces the origins and rapid proliferation of place ratings, categorising them into primary, secondary, volunteered, transactional, expert, and user-generated types, and examines how they are applied geographically, from countries to points of interest. Then, it reports on (2) a global survey of rating platforms, accounting for their variety and similarities across sectors and countries. (3) It engages with significant issues are entangled with place ratings: the challenges in their interpretation and aggregation; their potential cognitive, spatial, and demographic biases; their impact on power dynamics between businesses and consumers; and their contribution to the socio-spatial inequalities that exist between digital and physical realms. These insights converge into a geographical research agenda to study place ratings’ deep and ubiquitous effects.

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