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Opening the Black Box of Online Rating Systems: The Co-construction of Users and Uber’s Rating System

Sat, May 26, 17:00 to 18:15, Hilton Prague, Floor: LL, Congress Hall II - Exhibit Hall/Posters

Abstract

While the discussion has largely focused on how online rating systems help provide “objective” knowledge to inform consumers’ decisions, little attention is paid to how the identities of rating systems and users are mutually constructed. This paper demonstrates how the social construction of technology (SCOT) and semiotic approaches within science and technology studies help open the black box of rating systems. A preliminary assessment of the utility of these approaches is gleaned from a case study of Uber’s rating system. I identify Uber and its drivers as relevant social groups and search for their multiple interpretations of the rating system. I contend that Uber appealed to its “community guidelines” and design decisions to script the rating system as a form of labor management. Yet, Uber drivers articulated various tactics to resist or game the rating system. This case affords opportunities for considering the interpretative flexibility of online rating systems.

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