I think the main issue is that realistically what is there to review. Everything generally has worked the same for a few generations. So unless you're reviewing camera/video quality in ways that make sense or videogame performance, none of these people really have anything interesting to talk about.
The biggest issue with online reviews IMO isn't affiliate links but the fact that their entire platform revolves around getting early access to products and getting invited to preview events.
I'd trust them way more if they actually just bought the product off the shelf with literally no strings attached or affiliation with the brand.
But I realize that wouldn't be sustainable. In the age of FOMO and everyone needing everything day 1, if your review isn't up before or at launch day it basically doesn't exist. God forbid people actually wait 2-3 weeks before buying a new phone/laptop/game/etc.
We have unfortunately created an internet (and to a larger extent, a global society) that runs on material wealth. In depth product reviews take time, and time is money - shit is tough out there, and nobody wants to work this hard for no material gain. Add on to this the inherent signal boosting on platforms like Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter (where reviews like this are usually posted / discovered) that will favor product reviews from channels that are monetized or that have paid directly for visibility (for example, from an ad agency). You're much more likely to see an ad disguised as a review than you would stumble across a genuinely unbiased review.
In the past, people would subscribe to something like Consumer Reports and the subscription revenue alone could sustain them providing unbiased reviews for lots of different products. They're still around and apparently unbiased, but I don't believe their claims because I'm a cynic and their website looks like pure clickbait.
I'll reply in a second, but first I'd like to thank friend of the channel Squarespace.
I definitely, definitely use Squarespace for all of my website needs. And am absolutely not fucking lying through my teeth just because they are keeping me from losing my apartment.
You only really need one outlet per type of product to do objective, evidence-based, comprehensive testing, like rtings for televisions, Tom's/Anand for computers, DPReview for cameras (RIP), etc. The rest can be covered by aggregate user reviews.
You only really need one outlet per type of product to do objective, evidence-based, comprehensive testing, like rtings for televisions, Tom's/Anand for computers, DPReview for cameras (RIP), etc. The rest can be covered by aggregate user reviews.
Check out MobileTechReview. She does a really good job of actually testing out the hardware and talking about things in a conversational way. Yeah she throws out relevant specs, but you never feel like she's literally reading off a spec sheet like some of these other reviewers.
Check out MobileTechReview. She does a really good job of actually testing out the hardware and talking about things in a conversational way. Yeah she throws out relevant specs, but you never feel like she's literally reading off a spec sheet like some of these other reviewers.
I'm not being mean, but if this is what your tech reviewer looks like, you know they care about the technology and nothing else. That is the ultimate tech reviewer look.
Not Linus with his slicked up fake nerd presentation.
I'm not being mean, but if this is what your tech reviewer looks like, you know they care about the technology and nothing else. That is the ultimate tech reviewer look.
Not Linus with his slicked up fake nerd presentation.