Sometimes having an answer to a basic problem can alter things considerably. This is true even if the majority do not realize there is a problem.
As they say, "Houston, we have a problem".
What is the issue? Basically, we are dealing with reviews along with the associated voting. Here we see something that is completely rigged.
Stalin was credited with this quote: “Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything.”
Whether he said it nor not is immaterial. It does, however, capture the essence of what is taking place.
In this article we will discuss how the system regarding reviews and the associated votes is manipulated and how dangerous this is.
Decentralized Platforms
When we think of centralized platforms, the ones that come to mind relate to social media. Facebook and Twitter are likely at the top of most lists.
While these are certainly there, what about Amazon. Logging onto their site means we enter their domain, without say as how things operate. They design the terms of service which users abide by. Naturally, this is much different from a social media site since people are there making purchases.
Or are they?
We know from the "Twitter files" how things are manipulated. Much of what is posted on social media is not to be trusted. The question is whether these extends to something like Amazon?
Another way of phrasing this is why should we trust Amazon and the information that is on there. How do we know the reviews and voting is legitimate? In reality, we do not.
Let us be honest, Amazon has one goal: to sell more stuff. This means that it is not going to allow behavior that impedes with that process. The company does not make billions each quarter because it allows people to interrupt its system.
This is why a decentralized platform like Hive is crucial. To go one step further, reviews and voting is vital going forward.
The Danger Amazon Poses
We often think of reviews in terms of movies or some other form of entertainment. At the same time, perhaps we will research when buying a new phone or laptop. The point being, for the most part, these do not pose safety concerns.
The situation takes on a different meaning when dealing with something that is dangerous. We all can agree electricity can cause a host of problems. For that reason, taking safety precautions is crucial.
Before diving in, give this video a quick watch. If fully explains what we are discussing.
Here we have a fuse rated for 2 watts not blowing until 10 were placed upon it. This is something that is very dangerous. As shown in the video, the ratings for this product were very good.
Does this prove that Amazon was manipulating the results? No it does not. However, can we say the results are not manipulated? The answer is the same.
Blockchain was designed to bring trust without a counterparty. This was mainly designed for financial transactions yet applies to everything.
When it comes to platforms, if Facebook or Twitter can remove something posted, so can Amazon. The review process certainly should be questioned.
How Hive Solves This
Hive is a public decentralized text database. Anyone can write to it with the data being owned by nobody. More importantly, it is immutable. That means what is posted cannot be altered or changed by any third party.
On Amazon, if there is a comment it wants to remove, it can. When voting, if the results are not how they want, they can be altered. Again, the goal is to get people to add the product to their cart. Transparency is nowhere in the equation.
Hive provides this. We have the concept of people leaving comments (reviews), something that can be traced throughout the entire process. If we add decentralized polling, all votes can be tracked. It is easy to see if a series of accounts came in one day and simply added a ton of votes.
We have discussed how the world does not care about immutability and censorship resistant. That is true when it is delivered as a concept. However, things change completely when we offer a service tied to that.
The fact that Amazon is selling products that are of substandard quality and could post a safety risk is not really a surprise. This is what corporations do. They will only respond where the threat becomes too large (and too much publicity). However, there is really no way to warn others on the platform since it is likely the results are rigged.
Hive completely changes this. Waivio is an example of a store system that alters this. All reviews related to the products posted on there are tied to a the decentralized database. Reviews are fed to the blockchain, becoming a part of the immutable ledger.
This is a concept that can be duplicated across the entire spectrum. When crowdsourcing knowledge, how do we trust it when it is on a centralized entity? While there is a strong change the platforms do not care about most things, it is easy to see how the incentive to manipulate could be there.
A Whole New World
We need to think about the potential that we have here.
How do we trust anything? When making a decision, what information do we go by? Usually, the recommendation of someone we know (and trust). Is this enough? In a world of data, it is not.
What if we could do something to change this. Consider what can be rated and ranked:
- movies
- books
- politicans
- services such as plumbers
- stocks or other investments
- athletes
- insurance
- YouTube influencers
- music
- universities
- teachers
- hotels
Certainly, there are sites out there which do this. However, when trust is factored in, we see how this is a bad system.
For example, we know how advertising can influence what platforms present. Elon Musk made news by spouting off at Disney which, evidently, tried to leverage the money they spend on advertising to influence the narrative. Does anyone believe that a Hilton or Marriott could not do the same on a travel review site?
With Hive, the data is all transparent. At the same time, the review (comment) is controlled by the person who posted it, not the platform. Once it hits the database, it is there. Any edits have to come from that account.
As always, the key is the data. Who is in control of it? When something is placed on a centralized platform, the company behind it runs the show. While this might not be a big deal in many instances, the fact the risk exists for manipulation shows the flaw in the system. This means it is imperative to get data on Web3 platforms, filling databases we can trust. With transparency and immutability, that is built in.
Sometimes solving a basic problem can be a game changer.
This is something that Hive can do.