Review bombing: ideology-driven polarisation in online ratings: The case study of The Last of Us (part II)

Giulio Giacomo Cantone (), Venera Tomaselli () and Valeria Mazzeo ()
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Giulio Giacomo Cantone: University of Sussex
Venera Tomaselli: University of Catania
Valeria Mazzeo: Fondazione Bruno Kessler

Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, 2025, vol. 59, issue 1, No 13, 315-341

Abstract: Abstract A review bomb is a surge in online reviews, coordinated by a group of people willing to manipulate public opinions. This is a study on a prominent case of review bombing (n = 51,120) of the video game The Last of Us Part II, challenging the assumption that review bombing should be framed solely as misinformation. The impact of fake reviews is substantially small. Ideology-driven ratings associated with a conservative ideology are followed by a grassroots counter-bombing from progressives, aimed at mitigating the effects of the negative ratings. These factions are very similar in other metrics. Preventive measures are proposed.

Keywords: Online reviews; Metacritic; Information management; Meta-opinions; Text mining (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s11135-024-01981-z

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