As more Americans use the Internet for entertainment, for building personal relationships, and as a tool for conducting business, online rating systems have become a significant element of Internet use.
The Pew Internet & American Life Project has found that 26% of adult Internet users in the U.S., more than 33 million people, have rated a product, service, or person using an online rating system. These systems, also referred to as “reputation systems,” are online applications that allow users to express their opinions and read opinions posted by other participants.
The data, collected as part of a tracking survey conducted in May and June, provide new evidence that a substantial number of Internet users exploit the two-way communication feature of the Internet. The findings also add to the picture we have about the substantial number of Americans who contribute content to the online commons.