2021/04/02 by Giulio Giacomo Cantone, Venera Tomaselli, Cantone, Giulio Giacomo +3
Computer Science · Social Sciences · #Applications (stat.AP) #Computers and Society (cs.CY) #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection #Misinformation and Its Impacts #Public Relations and Crisis Communication #Social and Information Networks (cs.SI)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2104.01140
openalex publication_date 2021/04/02 · openalex created_date 2022/07/25 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
A review bomb is a large and quick surge in online reviews about a product, service, or business, coordinated by a group of people willing to manipulate public opinion about that entity. This study challenges the assumption that review bombing is solely a phenomenon of misinformation and connects motivations and substantial content of online reviews with the broader theory of judgement of facts and of value. These theories are verified in a quantitative analysis of the most prominent case of review bombing, which involves the video game The Last of Us Part II. It is discovered that ideology-driven ratings are followed by a grassroots counter-bombing, aimed at mitigating the effects of the negative ratings. The two factions of bombers, despite being politically polar opposites, are very similar in terms of other metrics. Evidence suggests the theoretical framework of political disinformation is insufficient to explain this case of review bombing. In light of the need to re-frame review bombing, recommendations are proposed for the preventive management of future cases.