Rating mechanisms among participants in sharing economy platforms

Abstract

This study shares findings from 23 qualitative interviews of participants from five sharing economy platforms in Norway (2016) about how they make sense of rating scores, use rating scores when making decisions and provide ratings of others in sharing economy platforms. Online ratings or review scores in sharing economy services tend to be positive on average. Consumers need to develop a larger awareness about the social mechanisms at play when peers rate each other, how a given platform may control and change rating categories and how rank is measured and presented by algorithms. Rating scores are vital to purchasing decisions.