A trend on Reddit that sees Londoners giving false restaurant recommendations in order to keep their favorites clear of tourists and social media influencers highlights the inherent flaws of Google Search’s reliance on Reddit and Google’s AI Overview.
Apparently, some London residents are getting fed up with social media influencers whose reviews make long lines of tourists at their favorite restaurants, sometimes just for the likes. Christian Calgie, a reporter for London-based news publication Daily Express, pointed out this trend on X yesterday, noting the boom of Redditors referring people to Angus Steakhouse, a chain restaurant, to combat it.
Again, at this point the Angus Steakhouse hype doesn’t appear to have made it into AI Overview. But it is appearing in Search results. And while this is far from being a dangerous attempt to manipulate search results or AI algorithms, it does highlight the pitfalls of Google results becoming dependent on content generated by users who could very easily have intentions other than providing helpful information. This is also far from the first time that online users, including on platforms outside of Reddit, have publicly declared plans to make inaccurate or misleading posts in an effort to thwart AI scrapers.
Ten years into the future “Why are all my favourite restaurants closed?”
Word of mouth will become important again.
sincerely the only form of social interaction that can be trusted, and not gamed with seo, because who can be arsed
It’s one reason why I like Lemmy so much — conversations around here are so small scale that I can be confident I’m talking to a human.
Now all restaurants are taco bell.
At least there is dinner and dancing.
Seriously, I’m sure ð mom and pop restaurant owners really appreciate ðis active directing of attention away from ðeir shops in favor of ð shitty chain places ðat form a consistent stranglehold around ðeir necks.