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Flora Chang
Zack De Piero
Writing 2
2 December 2015
One-Star Reviews or Venting Outlet?
Just as how trust is important in any relationship, online reviews are vital to the
companies in the digital world. The everyday use of the Internet has made it very common for
people to search online for reviews of restaurants, hotels, products, etcetera to see the companies
ratings. The reliance on positive reviews is critical for the success of many companieshighrated reviews increase the profitability of the business while negative reviews repel the interest
of the audience. This notion is true for all reviews, even for subgenres of reviews. Three popular
websites for reviewing restaurants, hotels, and products are Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Amazon,
respectively. All reviews share conventions that are aimed towards the goal of encouraging or
discouraging others from dining at a restaurant, staying at a hotel, or buying a product. However,
the differences in conventions between each of the sources become more evident when
examining reviews under the focus of customer dissatisfaction. Across the board, from Yelp to
TripAdvisor to Amazon, poorly-rated reviews often demonstrate subjective and exaggerated
content that utilizes a sarcastic tone to portray the reviewers negative experience based on
conventions such as describing customer service and the uses of humor and sarcasm.
One convention that is almost unanimously mentioned across all forms of reviews is
customer service. When dealing with restaurants, hotels, or products, customer service has a
strong effect on the reviews people write. The quality of the service can indefinitely change ones
mood. The significance of customer service becomes especially clear when customers are

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unsatisfied and leave an upsetting review. The tone in their voices is typically irritated. For
example, in one instance at a Mexican restaurant, a customer was asked to leave immediately
after finishing her meal because there were customers waiting. In the review, the customer states
that We left but I returned to speak to the manager, who stated that he thought we were holding
up a table. Ok, then. We wont hold up any tables again (Yelp). The irritation in this customers
tone of this one-star review becomes clearly evident in her use of sarcasm. Sarcasm is often used
in poorly-rated, angry reviews because customers let the emotions rule their mind. Across the
board, the reviewers will often mention the taste, texture, presentation of the food, and the
restaurants atmosphere. If these factors angered the customer, then it would be these things that
the reviewer will sarcastically vent about.
These topics that are mentioned in a majority of the positive reviews are also the topics
that are butchered about in the sarcastic reviews. It is not uncommon for reviewers to write about
customer servicehow attentive the waiters are, how fast the food is served, and how polite the
employees are. These key points are common in restaurant reviews because ones experience at a
restaurant not only relies on the delicious factor of the food, but it is also largely impacted by
how well the customers are treated and how satisfied they are with their experience. Uploading
photos onto Yelp can also substantiate ones claim regarding their experience, and some may
describe the visual appeals and aesthetics in written form in order to trigger the audiences
senses. Since the reviewers pathos is affected by factors such as customer service, it is either
praised or hated upon because it is taken personally.
TripAdvisor hotel reviews demonstrate this use of mockery. In one TripAdvisor review, a
dissatisfied customer said Pretty sure Im going to end up with some sort of disease due to
sanitation conditions similar to those of a homeless crackhead (TripAdvisor). While
TripAdvisor reviews often discuss factors regarding the hotels such as cleanliness, staff and

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reception attentiveness, noise levels, room size, and amenities to provide a rough perspective of
what their experience could be like, once the criticism comes into play, the level of subjective
comments increase. As a result, the negative comments may prompt the audience to think the
reviews are not appealing, and thus would filter out those hotels. Hotels with high ratings earn
more trust from the audience, and thus earn more business as well. Purchasing products online
can be difficult without reviews, whether it be positive or negative, because it is hard to
determine how reliable the seller is. Businesses on large Internet-based sellers such as Amazon
largely depend on product reviews to help with their sales because high-rated reviews amps up
the level of trust the consumers have in the seller.
Similarly, in a one-star Amazon review, a customer described the poor quality of the
product by saying Ill make my own from horse poop (Amazon). Reviews often become an
outlet to vent for these frustrated customers. The sarcasm used often refers to words or symbols
with a degrading connotation. For instance, in the examples previously given, the reviewers
described their experiences by comparing it to a homeless crackhead and horse poop.
Another example is when a TripAdvisor reviewer believed that the hotel should be named
Alcatraz (TripAdvisor). The informal voice in these reviews are also more prevalent in the onestar ratings than in four or five-star reviews because it is likely that the people who left an angry
one-star review do not regularly write reviews. Product reviews on Amazon typically mention
the pros and cons, the quality of the product, how worthy the item is considering the price, the
reliability of the seller, shipping speed, and a product description. The reviews provide the
concrete details and evidence that will either persuade a customer to purchase the product or not.
The more detailed the review, the more helpful it is, and the more reviews there are on a specific
companys profile, the more consistent it is. However, there is a reasonably high chance that any
given user who writes a sarcastic, exaggerated, one-star review has not previously written many

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reviewsreview-writing is not a hobby for these users but rather an outlet to express upsetting
emotions. These biased reviews demonstrate pathos, or an appeal to emotion, which can come
across as emotionally manipulative or overly sentimental when used without logos and ethos
(Carroll 53). Logos, or logic, does not exist in these reviews because the customers are
overwhelmed with their negative emotion, and the true ethos, or the credibility of the company is
compromised.
While the purpose of reviews is typically the same, there are differences that arise when
comparing reviews from different categories. Differences within a genre is acceptable, as rules
change as the genre changes and genres require more effort than simply following the rules
(Dirk 258). Across low-rated reviews on Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Amazon reviews, the site that is
most unique is Amazon reviews. Since the reason for a majority of the poorly-rated product
reviews is due to bad quality products, the negative reviews on Amazon are less subjective than
those on Yelp and TripAdvisor. If a product breaks easily, it breaks easily. However, if a food
item tastes bad, it may not necessarily taste bad to everyone. As a result, Yelp and TripAdvisor
reviews are more subjective and different from person to person.
In comparing two reviews posted within a week of each other from the same restaurant,
one can see the variation in the judgment of the taste of the food when one customer says, Best
pho in the area, hands down while another customer says, the pho can easily be beat down the
road (Yelp). Taste is unique to each individual, resulting in food reviews to be slightly
subjective. Additionally, for most products, there is a return policy that allows unhappy
customers to get a refund. This possibility allows customers to be slightly less bitter about their
undesirable experience, as seen when a customer says, I wasted my time buying these, but at
least I got a full refund easily (Amazon). However, a negative experience at a restaurant or a
hotel cannot be reversed. As a result, the anger in the reviews are evolved into the written form

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of sarcasm. These reviewers are often so biased that they forget to consider the more objective
factors of their experience or situation. Their naturally angry response is a result of their lack of
understand of how a genres rhetorical action is meant to prompt a specific response. While
many of the reviewers will typically suggest favorites, recommendations, and tips in order to
help optimize other peoples experiences, these negative reviews aim to discourage others from
finding the place appealing. Effective food reviews appeal especially to pathos, whether it is a
glowing or harsh review.
The conventions within each genre are what makes understanding genre so significant, as
it impacts the audiences ethos, pathos, and logos. Identifying genre makes it easier to target the
audience by making a connection between the content and the audience. As Laura Bolin Carroll
said in Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis, Understanding the audience
helps you begin to see and understand the rhetorical moves that the rhetor makes (Carroll 49).
Who the audience is and what the genre is work in conjunction because the audience can
determine the type of language used, the formality of the discourse, the medium or delivery of
the rhetoric (Carroll 49). Essentially, the audience points the direction at which a genre is
executed and a genre depicts who the intended audience is. For example, Yelp reviews are
catered to readers in the sense that reviews are meant to be informative enough that it will help
readers decide whether or not they are interested in dining at the restaurant. The genre of
restaurant reviews also filters the audience, meaning that someone looking for opinions on
cooking would not look to Yelp for help. Piecing together a genre is also important, as the
breakdown of the conventions within a genre is what is analyzed. The analysis is vital since the
more we know about how to analyze situations and draw informed conclusions, the better we can
become about making savvy judgments (Carroll 46).

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It is what will ultimately guide how the audience responds to a specific genre. In other words, a
brief one-star review should not surprise the audience if it contained sarcastic, subjective, and
cynical comments.
Reviewers either vent, praise, or simply describe an experience they had, in hopes that
their review will be beneficial in one way or another. Understanding the genre of reviews
requires the dissection of the genre into its conventions. From dissecting Yelp, TripAdvisor, and
Amazon reviews, with a focus on low-rated reviews, it becomes evident that even within a genre
are subgenres that have similarities and differences. Angry reviews can often be subjective, as
they become a form of venting for the dissatisfied customers. Meanwhile, Amazon reviews are
slightly less subjective than Yelp and TripAdvisor reviews since describing the quality of a
product is less opinion based. Being able to analyze the conventions of reviews is important in
terms of making a connection between the readers and the content of the reviewsallowing the
audience to be fully engaged in their understanding of how the combination of ethos, pathos, and
logos can contribute to a strong review.

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Works Cited

Carroll, Laura Bolin. "Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis." Writing
Spaces: Readings on Writing. By Charles Lowe. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor, 2010. 45-58.
Print.
Dirk, Kerry. "Navigating Genres." Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. West Lafayette, IN:
Parlor, 2010. 249-61. Print.
Gabo. "Never Again." Review. n.d.: n. pag. Amazon. 15 Jan. 2015. Web.
S, Cheri. "Cheri S.'s Reviews." Review. n.d.: n. pag. Yelp. Mar. 2013. Web.
Sconvey. "There Was Poo in the Kettle..." Review. n.d.: n. pag. TripAdvisor. Sept. 2011. Web.

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Writing 2 Feedback Matrix for WP1
Table of Textual Features
Did Not Meet
Expectations

Met Expectations

Exceeded
Expectations

Thesis Statement

Use of Textual Evidence

from Genres

X+

Use of Course Readings

Analysis

Organization/Structure

Attention to
Genre/Conventions and
Rhetorical Factors

X+

Sentence-level Clarity,
Mechanics, Flow

X+
Flora,

Other Comments
Tremendous work here. Check out my comments!
Z
9.5/10