I enjoyed the assignment for my English class here at
Brigham Young University to discover what makes a good review on social media
platforms such as Amazon.com and Goodreads.com. The posts that had the most appeal to me
personally were those done by people who really seemed knowledgeable in their
field. This is a crucial component of a
respectable review. The user should be
able to do a quick analysis of the book and explain a bit about it without
giving too much away from the story. For
example, when I was reading Heart of
Darkness, our assigned novel, I found the reviews that expounded briefly on
the symbolism and themes extremely helpful.
Through them, I was able to identify a few points and meanings that I
would probably have missed if I hadn’t looked at the reviews. However, I found that when the users were
overly dramatic and either idolized or loathed the book, I didn’t take it as
seriously. The review should have a
fairly unbiased tone, simply stating the good and bad points of the work, not
being so forceful that the reader feels intimidated to form his or her own
opinion. Another deterrent for me was
definitely the length. Reading a long
analysis of the book was something I turned to only in sheer desperation for
enlightenment. The users who were able
to be concise and to the point were the ones I found to be most effective.
It was interesting
to me to see the different reviews on each site based on the different type of
users that each attracts. When I went on
Amazon to check out the reviews for our assigned novel, Heart of Darkness, I looked up a few of the things that users had
also reviewed. There was one account
that I really enjoyed. He had a lot of
reviews and comments with real depth about some heavy literature, but also
showed his playful side by reviewing a fluffy stuffed dog toy that his little
daughter had ordered. This is an
advantage that Amazon has over Goodreads.
Many, many people use Amazon for various things, whereas Goodreads is a
bit less well-known. The reviews from
Amazon seem to come from people that are more….”real,” I guess you could say,
while those on Goodreads have an “English-teacher-esque” persona.
I felt like my own
review on Amazon would go to a broader, more generalized audience. This made me feel comfortable to write a bit
about my own experience with the novel, but also pushed me to keep it short so
that it would get more reads. When I
posted to Goodreads, I felt a sense of apprehension because the people there
are serious readers! I worried that I
didn’t have the experience or intelligence to be taken seriously on that
platform. But hooray for me, it’s up
there anyway!
I found myself surprised by the pleasure I found in having
people react positively to my posts on Goodreads! Entering in group discussions made me think
harder about the books, but also made me clarify and solidify my own ideas. It made me want to participate more and get
other people’s viewpoints. Posting my
review on Facebook was another big leap for me though. It was strange to combine my academic,
task-oriented self with my online persona as well. But I think that is a really interesting part
of this whole project; combining online identities to discover and round-out
ourselves. Plus, this project has not
only affected me! Now my roommates are
actively involved in my reading/posting habits and are broadening their own literary
horizons by talking with me about books and commenting on my posts!
In the digital age, you definitely get what you put
out. As active online reviewers and
readers, we can benefit from other people’s perspectives and deepen our own
understanding in ways not possible through solo literary consumption.
