I construct a theoretical framework for expert product reviews and demonstrate how the existence of positive network effects can make review inflation profitable even when consumers are rational. This finding moreover suggests that product reviews may serve as a coordination mechanism for early adopters. In an empirical application to the video game journalism industry, I find evidence that reviews are inflated for games produced by large firms and for those that are part of pre‐existing game franchises. Additionally, I find variation in inflation across genres that would be inconsistent with common alternative theories of inflation, such as consumer naivete.

中文翻译：

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网络效应，议价能力和产品评论偏差：理论和证据

我构建了用于专家产品评论的理论框架，并演示了积极的网络效应如何使评论通货膨胀即使在消费者是理性的情况下也有利可图。此外，该发现表明，产品评论可以作为早期采用者的协调机制。在对视频游戏新闻业的经验应用中，我发现有证据表明，对于大公司生产的游戏以及那些先前存在的游戏特许经营权的游戏，评论被夸大了。此外，我发现通货膨胀率在不同类型中的变化与通货膨胀的其他通货膨胀理论（如消费者天真）不一致。