Online consumer reviews can no longer be trusted | Nature Human Behaviour

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From fake reviews that harm businesses, to humorous reviews that mock consumerism, to culture-war review bombing, some online reviews cannot be trusted to provide objective evaluations. Once a source of sincere advice, online review platforms have spawned new forms of disingenuous behaviour that may hurt consumers.

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Subjects

Business and management

Information systems and information technology

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Author information<br>Authors and Affiliations<br>Fox School of Business, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA<br>Susan M. Mudambi

McIntire School of Commerce, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA<br>David Schuff

AuthorsSusan M. MudambiView author publications<br>Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

David SchuffView author publications<br>Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author<br>Correspondence to<br>David Schuff.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Cite this article<br>Mudambi, S.M., Schuff, D. Online consumer reviews can no longer be trusted.<br>Nat Hum Behav (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-026-02527-z<br>Download citation<br>Published: 13 July 2026

Version of record: 13 July 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-026-02527-z

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