The review world needs to change now! (And for this reason)

We live in a world of lightning-fast (mass) media, time pressure and hysteria. For something or someone to stand out, it requires a flood of – positive – attention. Brands realize this very well and try to achieve this through numerous (media) channels. However. is this the direction we want to go?

Anyone who knows Alpha Audio a little – or perhaps the team behind Alpha – knows that we get philosophical from time to time. With great regularity, for example, we look at the hi-fi world as a whole. What trends do we see? Is that a good development? How could things be different? For the latest thoughts, watch our videos from the High End Munich 2024.

Look in the mirror

However, it is also good to take a good look in the mirror. How are we doing ourselves? And how is the review industry doing as a whole? Are we being objective and honest enough? Aren’t we chasing the hypes too much? Are we not rushing too much to score a scoop?

And perhaps somewhat negatively put: aren’t we (becoming) slaves to the industry?

Of course, we also look for solutions. After all: if any of these things are a reality…. how are we going to adjust it? Is it even manageable? Or is it a freight train that – once on speed – cannot be stopped?

You can answer most of the questions only for yourself. However, there are also questions in the broader sense that you can discuss with colleagues over a cup of coffee…. And we actually do so with esteemed colleagues. Useful, instructive and also badly needed to keep work and relationships pure. And frankly, it’s also just nice and necessary to blow off some steam every now and then.

Interaction

Now it will come as no surprise to you that there is a triangular relationship between consumers, media and manufacturers. Consumers and media have a relationship (consumers inform themselves through the media) and the media and industry have a relationship with each other. After all, industry needs the media to make their products and services known. And the media needs revenue to create this content.

Now, it’s always a strange relationship between industry and media. After all: a brand purchases a product from the media (display advertising, for example) and sends a product for review. That product is tested and something is written about it or a video is made. So far so good…

If the review is critical, the manufacturer will not be happy. And chances are, next time, the manufacturer will thank you kindly … that’s just how it works. The result is that media have become very cautious about critical reviews….

Dangerous path

Now this is a dangerous path. And for numerous reasons. First of all, as a medium becomes increasingly cautious, reviews become dull. So as a consumer you get to read a huge batch of sameness. Everything that has been tested is okay. And in many cases, products start to look alike. That makes the bulk of reviews completely useless.

Second, chances are that “mediocre” products are quickly returned. Now we do that too sometimes, because frankly, reviewing mediocre or bad products is also pretty pointless. It makes you cranky, it also takes time (and we don’t always have a lot of time) AND why, as a consumer, read something about a product you will not need? (There are arguments to be made, but point is: there is not infinite time for these kinds of reviews).

By the way, we have partially solved the above “problem” with comparative tests and large background / research articles. By putting several products side by side, you can still very well see where a product belongs in the market. And our readers and viewers can decide for themselves what they find important and what they don’t.

A third – perhaps most important – point is that the media is rapidly losing its credibility this way. If the industry ‘gags’ the media with the threat that they will withdraw their funding if a product does not get 5 stars – and yes: that really does happen – then as an industry you are in fact destroying your own stage.

After all: if no consumer believes reviews anymore, why would you want reviews? And where do you go if you want to publicize your new products?

Influencers?

“Oh well”, we still sometimes hear, “then they will go to those new influencers on Youtube, Insta and Tiktok, right? They have millions of followers!”. That’s right. There are plenty of celebrities and “influencers” who have millions of followers. However, the question is: Who are they reaching?

Besides, the amount of money you can book on to their bank account for a one-minute video are… serious. And what do you get? A story that makes no sense whatsoever… Because: how many influencers really understand hifi? Or tech? Or cars? Or… fill in the blank. People notice that… the consumer is not stupid!

There are exceptions, but honestly, your author does not know any “influencer” who really knows about things I like to follow. Think cameras, IT stuff, Hifi, cars, music and gaming (and then mainly sim racing), for example. I mostly see a lot of product-placement and empty-headed videos.

Now it also depends on the definition of “influencer” of course….

The consumer determines

At the bottom line, your author estimates that the power still lies with the consumer. What title do you like to read? By what medium do you seek advice? Who do you trust? After all: that also influences the power of that medium and that makes it a more interesting platform for the industry. (Yep, full circle again…)

Our estimation is that especially trust in a medium is extremely important. After all: if you are looking for a new device, you want to base your choice on accurate information. Part of that are reviews and background stories that are actually usefull to you.

In ten years?

Look at where we are today and visualize the media landscape ten years from now. Fake news, bought content from influencers, Bots on Facebook, instagram…. AI generated articles…

Now that’s a doomsday scenario. But honestly not entirely unthinkable. AI content is cheap. And bots on social media are already creating hypes. Fake news has proliferated in bunches to influence elections and wars. It’s only a matter of time before brands start using it to create hype around their products. But how do you distinguish fake from real?

As media, that does keep you busy. At least we do think about it. After all, we as Alpha Audio – as well as our industry collegues – compete with that as well. The only thing you can do as a platform is offer added value. Especially towards our readers by always working with integrity . And, for example, by doing research into remarkable phenomena such as the influence of networks on sound. And the measurability of cabling or power conditioners.

However, we must also be of added value to our partners: our customers or advertisers. After all, there must be a reason for them to invest in us. We have always sought this added value in the reliability of our content. We always write how it is. And even do multi-tests live to be 100% transparent.

That seems like a very odd way of adding value. But it’s not…. Take a look back at this article. What is crucial for a reader? Exactly: the reliability of a platform. Trust.

Rounding up

Now it has not been my intention to tell you how sad and miserable we are. That does not help you… it does not help us and it does not show decisiveness.

The purpose of this article – which arose spontaneously – was to give you some insight into the course of events and the dynamics of the media. What happens behind the scenes? How are choices being made? What are we struggling with? That will give you some more “meta-information” to work with. Do with it what you will.

We wonder how you view the media? What could be better? What is already going well? And which media do you read (and perhaps why those and not others?).

Check out the video of Gerald Undone

What we are experiencing in the industry is not just limited to hi-fi. This video by Gerald Undone exposes some more problems and shows that it is no different in camera reviews…. Not everything can be extended to the audio world, but it’s still an interesting video that provides a lot of insight.