Opinion overload: can you always trust your best friend's opinion?

Chapman students who use reviewing apps like Letterboxd and Goodreads share how to navigate the oversaturation of opinions on both social media and online. Photo collage by DANIEL PEARSON, staff photographer

Scrolling through reviews in hopes of finding the perfect movie to watch on a Friday night is kind of like looking through a five-page diner menu. Do you go with your gut and order the eggs benedict or trust the server and order the french toast? Should you watch this romantic comedy that you think you would really like even though critics only gave it one star? All in all, it really boils down to one question when taking recommendations: how do you know who to trust and who is qualified to give their opinion?

The rise of social media platforms and apps dedicated to reviewing and rating films, television shows and books has led to an oversaturation of opinions and reviews. Platforms like Letterboxd, with 3 million members, and Goodreads, with over 90 million users, have allowed users to review their favorite media, giving them a voice in the conversation. 

Goodreads allow users to track and rate books, while Letterboxd works similarly for films and TV shows.

However, as these platforms have grown in popularity, the sheer number of reviews and ratings has become overwhelming for some users. The influx of opinions has led to a culture of hot takes and controversy, where everyone wants to be heard and stand out from the crowd.

Senior graphic design major Hadley Corwin said she uses Letterboxd as a way to find friend’s reviews of movies as well as keep track of her own. She told The Panther that Twitter is more frequently bombarded with amateur critics. 

“I think mainly, if I see a positive review from a friend (on Letterboxd), that definitely influences me to watch something,” Corwin said. “I have a lot of friends who are in Dodge (College of Film and Media Arts) who are very up to date on upcoming movies. So if I see they went to an early Dodge screening and they gave it a positive review, that'll definitely influence my decision to watch something later on.”

On the other hand, senior strategic and corporate communication major Maddie Mullany said  there is an oversaturation of reviews when it comes to her personal favorite form of entertainment, books. In order to combat this, Mullany, who only rates books rather than leave long reviews, said she usually just reads the first few reviews that come up on her Goodreads page. 

Thanks to reviews from friends, Mullany has become a huge Sally Rooney fan, having read both “Normal People” and “Conversations With Friends.”

“I'll kind of get the gist (from a review), but if I look through and I see everybody's giving (a book) four or five stars compared to two or three, I know I should read it,” Mullany said.

Junior screenwriting major Devin Roberts is passionate about Letterboxd due to his love for film. Although, he admits the app itself can be confusing to use for beginners, but once you get the hang of it, it’s the perfect way to store reviews for movies you have seen and wish to watch in the future, almost like a digital diary.

“Everyone reviews in a very different way,” Roberts said. “Like some people do one-liner jokes, and that's kind of become like a trend of the app. But others do really like sentimental and heartfelt reviews of our films they like really connect with. Some folks who review everything ironically, and that can be funny or others might be super intellectual reviews that get deep into the technical or thematic elements of a movie.”

Roberts said he was more a cynic when it comes to making his own reviews.

But Roberts is no stranger to the myriad of reviews not only on Letterboxd, but across online platforms such as IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.

“I'm going to use IMDb usually (for online reviews). I find that to be my bible when it comes to what this movie is objectively in people's minds,” Roberts said. “I don't really use Rotten Tomatoes anymore. That used to be my thing. When I was first getting into film, Rotten Tomatoes was like my bible. But now, I trust IMDb and Letterbox ratings, critics and friends.”

In some ways, apps like Letterboxd and Goodreads give everyone a voice. Yet, with so many different opinions, Roberts said it can often feel like yours gets lost in the sea of reviews. 

“In today's cacophony of noise that is the internet, it's hard to stand out, it's hard to make yourself heard,” Roberts said. “So everyone wants to have this hot take, everyone wants to have this controversial or just really radical or really cool opinion that no one else has. (It's) kind of like a race to do that.”

Even with thousands of overwhelming reviews, Roberts told The Panther that Letterboxd contains a feature that sets the app apart from other platforms.

“I think one of the better features that Letterboxd actually has is (the) spoiler function on reviews, so people can hit spoiler and you won't see it if you haven't logged that film,” Roberts said.

Even with the buckets of praise Roberts had for his favroite app, he admitted that it still has its flaws.

“Its (user interface) is just so terrible,” Roberts said. “Anytime I am trying to convince one of my friends to download the app there's so much resistance from them because they open up the app and it's this very analytical thing. It's not very easily accessible.”

Reviews will always be circulating the internet, but for Corwin, this isn’t a bad thing. As long as people trust their instincts when it comes to reading reviews, they will consume media they enjoy.

“I think it's important for people to trust themselves and not be too influenced by the reviews from other people, because that can be kind of a trap," Corwin said. “So (it's important to) just take time to watch the film before you look at the reviews to sort of make up your own mind, or just look at a variety of reviews instead of just reading the one that your friend posted.”