Keywords
resistance
emotions
reviews
algorithms
text analysis
subjectivity
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Abstract
Online reviews are decisive in current consumption patterns. Google Maps is a key player reshaping the restaurant sector by monetizing reviews and employing algorithmic management. Although reviews could serve as a channel of resistance, in practice they are dominated by a questionable optimism. This study analyzes the textual characteristics (emotion, polarity, subjectivity) of reviews for Puebla restaurants on Google Maps. The aim is to identify how these linguistic properties affect the transparency and fairness of the economic ecosystem shaped by the platform, determining whether they function more as critical tools or as elements aligned with its business model. Using opinion mining and Natural Language Processing (NLP), 1,714 reviews of Poblano cuisine restaurants on Google Maps were analyzed. The results reveal a high emotional load: joy exhibits positive polarity and high subjectivity, whereas sadness and anger tend toward objectivity and neutral polarity. The study suggests that proactive solicitation of reviews by businesses fosters positive feedback loops, intensifying emotional subjectivity. Although consumers rely on these reviews, they prioritize affective and social aspects over objective data—a trend exacerbated by emotional overload, lack of verification, and algorithmic filtering. This dynamic suggests a perception of Google Maps more as a social network than a search platform, thereby diluting its critical potential and the use of reviews as resistance. Consequently, the validity of reviews as tools for informed decision-making is called into question.
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