No fun, 5 stars
On Amazon ratings, Air Alert, and why not everything is supposed to be enjoyable
Dr. Mark Lewis, a Utah oncologist with a substantial social-media following, once earned a lot of laughs for sharing a patient review: "Dr Lewis saved my life! [4/5 stars]". His wry rejoinder? "Honestly don't know how to earn that 5th star".
■ Ratings can serve useful purposes, especially when used for low-stakes choices for which a lot of investigation would waste useful time: Which restaurant in the neighborhood serves the best steamed dumplings? Did other people like this toaster they found in an online store? Expertise isn't always useful; sometimes, the wisdom of crowds is more than enough.
■ But ratings can also deceive, particularly if they are solicited poorly. One Ukrainian points out that her review of the Air Alert app is five out of five stars, but takes issue with Apple's way of asking for the rating: "Enjoying Air Alert!?" Considering that it's an app designed solely to warn of incoming aerial attacks from Russia, there is nothing enjoyable about it.
■ It does speak to the chronic infantilization of the user experience by companies like Google and Apple that they use "enjoying" as the test verb by default, as though every experience with a product should "spark joy". Some of the most important and useful things in the world (like vaccine shots, sewage treatment, and air raid alerts) aren't enjoyable at all, but they can be literal lifesavers. It's nobody's job to make those experiences enjoyable -- the important question is whether the solutions are useful, efficient, and reliable.
■ Some people only wish to be treated like perpetual adolescents, but they shouldn't steer the rest of society. Life comes with hard times, tough choices, and burdensome sacrifices. Learning to muddle through those with the help of friends, family, and a cheerful disposition is one of the defining ways we become adults.
