Beyond Positivity: embrace the negative review
Hi frens,
Have you see the review of Humane Ai pin, from MKB? The title is eye-catching:
And it drew lots of discussions. Should an “influencer” post negative review? Do bad reviews kill companies?
Let’s face it: Most technology media rarely give negative reviews. And it seems to happen in the broader professional review industry, such as book, music, restaurant, etc.
The reviewer tends to have a good relationship with the creators, so to have a chance of getting insider information. The reviewers usually ignore or skip bad products to avoid confrontation. That’s part of attention economics.
However, when we define the “positive”, the “negative” is born as well, which becomes equally noticeable and cannot be overlooked.
For example, we often see tons of negative reviews from the social network, or even insulting comments from the mass audience. A negative experience often triggers emotional behavior, which brings more short and angry reviews. That blocks effective communication between the reviewer and the creator.
It’s probably easier to write a positive review, but definitely a lot challenging to write a “good” negative review.
A review consists of objective observations and subjective opinions. Subjective opinions typically stand with some kind of groups, and objective materials are boring.
Here’s crucial part: The subjective opinions should be based on objective observations, to the best of one’s ability. That’s no easy job.
If you look at MKB’s review, there are multiple real-world scenarios throughout the video, so the audience may judge whether that performance is acceptable or not. That’s one of the best negative reviews I’ve ever seen.
On the other hand, I recognize that creators need to manage their own negative emotions and concentrate on enhancing their products afterward. No easy job, too. But any positive review could make a good day, isn’t it?
By the way, The Verge published a negative review before MKB. Why wouldn’t it catch fire?
Your friend,
Denken