My mom once told someone that I had a blog, and the first (and only) question she asked was “how many followers do you have?”.
I was shocked, not only because I was embarrassed that I only had 70 followers 😂, but I thought she would ask “what kind of blog is it?” “Why do you write?” kind of questions. Why would someone be interested in knowing the number of followers if he/she had no idea what the blog is about??
But this is not something new – almost everyone relies on the numbers and rankings to make decisions. It happens all the time and everywhere.
When was the last time you tried a new restaurant without researching on how many ‘stars’ it has? Have you ever watched a movie without reading the reviews? Will you consider travelling to a place that is not listed as a top destination on any magazine?
But there is a problem: numbers, ratings and reviews are subject to bias.
Photo by William B on Unsplash
Don’t get me wrong – I think they are important.
The good thing is: they don’t lie. After all, there must be a reason that something is more ‘popular’, right?
For example, if a restaurant has received a 5-star rating from 90% of the customers, most probably the food will not be too bad. If a place is continuously listed as a Top 10 Destination, it must have something great to offer to tourists. If a blog has millions of followers, it must have brought some value to readers.
This is especially important in a world where we are often spoilt for choices, and it is impossible to try everything.
We need some sort of rankings and filtering options, so we can reduce the regret of getting bad products or services. I think it is smart and rational to do comparisons based on the ratings, given that a good rating is the result of hard works and efforts.
Photo by Maurício Mascaro from Pexels
If the ratings disappeared, I can imagine many businesses will cut corners and provide terrible customer service. Therefore, having the opportunity to give ratings or reviews is important for competition and improvement for both businesses and individuals.
Having said so, I feel that sometimes we are taking the numbers, ratings and reviews far too seriously, but forgot to trust our instinct, even for the most basic things.
A friend of mine has a friend who will only go to the restaurant recommended by TripAdvisor. He would skip the social gathering because the restaurant did not ‘meet’ his standard (by just reading the reviews as he has never been to that restaurant).
Personally, I am also heavily reliant on numbers and ratings. I never bought a book without first reading the reviews on Amazon… Until one day, I bought a blogging book in Melbourne. At that time, I was not able to connect to the network so did not know the book only had less than 10 reviews on Amazon. However, this is the best blogging book that I have read so far (by the way, I have about 10 blogging books).
Gimmelwald, Switzerland
Besides, some of the very beautiful places that I have visited is not popular at all, and they are so lovely and peaceful, such as this and this. The happiest memory that I have had in New Zealand is a small town that many people have not heard of.
So, sometimes it is not a bad idea to get off the beaten track isn’t it?
Anyway, we are already living in a world obsessed with numbers and ratings, which is not a bad thing, but let’s also not forget something:
1. Remember numbers and ratings are not everything.
Everyone is biased against something and everyone has a different personality. Though the numbers and ratings are good references, it is sometimes too dangerous to rely solely on other people’s opinion to make decisions. The preference of 1000 other people may not be what you wish for.
2. Once in a while, try something new without relying on ratings and you may find surprises.
It is almost impossible to find a popular travel destination that is not too crowded and touristy. That place is famous for a reason, however, I believe there are still many amazing places not yet explored. Every so often let’s forget the rating on TripAdvisor or any similar platforms. In fact, some small and local restaurants are not even listed on TripAdvisor but have amazing local food.
3. Understand first, before looking at the number.
This is hard. Most of the times I like to read the reviews first before even understand what the book is about (just like the person who asked how many followers I had without knowing what my blog is about). But I know I should learn to accept new things as there may be a lot of undiscovered beauty out there. Learn first, before judging.
4. If you really love to do something…
…of which the success is measured by the number of followers (such as blogging like me), then forget about the numbers. Nothing beats the satisfaction of doing something you love. After all, numbers are just numbers.
5. Even if we made a bad choice, we learn.
Once in a while, follow your heart and get off the beaten track and try something different from the norm. Even if it was a bad decision, it made a good story. 🙂
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