3. Opinion And Criticism
Ted DiBiase may have once operated on the principle that everybody has a price, but the internet operates on the principle that everybody has a voice. Inside everybody is a critic, but once upon a time opinionated individuals could only express their feelings about a specific film/television programme/car/wrestler/banana eating technique with their peers. The internet gave them the blog, and with it the opportunity to share their opinions (no matter how worthless or annoying they may be) with the world, as well as community review sites such as TripAdvisor, where everything from restaurants to hotels are looked at in meticulous detail. Sites that mix professional and public criticism together, such as Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic, are now regarded as highly important by the likes of film and game manufacturers, as negative reception spreads more quickly than ever and sales are impacted as a result. No longer can a poor quality release thrive because the public are not aware of how it has been generally received. People are never going to universally agree or disagree on anything, but general internet opinion is undoubtedly one of the most effective ways of establishing a consensus on something, with businesses ignoring public opinion doing so at their peril.