Critical Musings: Psychology, Validity, and Reliability of Online Ratings

Too Long; Didn't Read

Scene: “ You just got back from a flight and immediately pull out your phone to call an Uber. It's a busy day as always at the airport, with people bustling out of the airport in search of their cars. But you manage to track down your Uber and get in. After that, it's an uneventful ride back home. Finally! But you have one thing left to do before you start browsing for your next trip. You need to rate the Uber ride experience. If everything went well, and you don't have complaints, perhaps you'll give it a 4 or 5. But what if you had hailed the ride in peak hours. Your bill jumped up exponentially, and just to get home 1 mile away, you had to pay $100. What rating do you give then? How about if you've never ridden in an Uber before and don't know what to expect?” We think we may be giving a rating depicting the prowess of the driver, but do we think to account for our own biases and emotions? Or even the design of the rating system?