This morning I read an article by Andrew Keen entitled “The Napster bloodbath damaged music more than Lennon’s murder.” Keen is known for his anti-amateur book “The Cult of the Amateur: How the Democratization of the Digital World is Assaulting Our Economy, Our Culture, and Our Values”, and his frequent appearances on shows like the Colbert Report. Where many social media devotees praise self-expression through social networking, Keen is against any form of user generated content. He feels that there should be a distinct difference between experts and amateurs.

In the article, Keen goes on to talk about a new collaborative filtering recommendation engine, and comes to the conclusion that “the new, new thing on the internet is the proven good taste of the professional critic.” That statement was interesting to me, as I found it contrary to how people actually use recommendations to find something they’ll like.

How Good Is A Professional’s Recommendations?

When I’m thinking about going to a movie, I am much more willing to trust a friend’s suggestion than a movie critic. Even though a friend may not be an “expert” or a “professional” movie critic, I would trust their opinion more than someone I don’t know. Why? Because they know what I like.

When an “expert” writes a review of a movie or a song, they’re giving their own opinion of the item. They are judging the piece based on their own tastes and preferences, and their judgment is supposed to be representative of the opinion of the masses. But how often is that the case? Think of any movie that critics have fawned over. Let’s take “There Will Be Blood” as an example. Critics couldn’t get enough of this movie. I dare you to find one bad review from a major newspaper (I’m sure you’ll be able to find one, but I could not). I listened to them and was sorely disappointed.

Why Do The Critics Fail?

1. They don’t know what I like- To give any kind of recommendation, it’s necessary to know what someone likes. It’s simply impossible for expert reviewers to get to know everyone, so instead, they are offering their own opinions.
2. They have different motivations- Since a movie critic’s compensation is in no way tied to whether or not I actually liked something they gave four stars, they have no incentive to make everyone happy.
3. It is impossible to please everyone- Take any two people and find out what they like. Odds are, they will differ wildly in any given media type. Even if a reviewer was able to read minds and know that 60% of all people would absolutely love a movie, they would still disappoint 40%.

How Recommendations Can Work

Like a friend who knows your tastes, the best recommendations come from a deep understanding of your personal preferences. This understanding includes

• What you like
• What you dislike
• Why you like what you like and dislike what you dislike
• Why you like/dislike similar items
• The connections between liked and disliked items
• Preferences tied to mood

And many more.

When it comes to recommendations, the problem is not the pedigree of the person or system giving a suggestion. The problem is really understanding the unique tastes of a single complex, ever-changing human being. That is something that an army of professional critics could never hope to achieve.