Notes et avis des consommateurs sur le web

Among the different sources of information available online, consumer reviews are now widely used. This ranking and recommendation system for goods and services is found on most e-commerce sites, as well as on dedicated platforms, both general and specialized (Ciao, Tripadvisor, Allocine, etc.). Its form is relatively standardized and combines, give or take a few variations, an aggregate of ratings and written comments. By analysing the architecture of these sites, processing data sets collected for this purpose, and drawing on interviews, this article first reports on the spread of the "Rating and Review" system. It highlights the imitation or on the contrary the specific arrangements introduced by the platforms based on pre-existing facilities on the market. The article then analyses the different ways in which, on the Web, lay speech is formatted by the system and articulates or conflicts with expert forms of product assessment. Finally, it offers a typology to map out the world of Ratings and Reviews sites, based on both the characteristics of the products assessed and the nature of the uncertainty about the quality(ies) weighing on consumers in the exploratory phase.