Dyadic communication in online review platforms: an exploratory approach

Emerging technology and information search capabilities have the potential to enhance the efficiency of consumer recommendations for travellers. One critical factor that has been understudied in online reviews is that of the reader–poster dyadic relationship and its impact on review evaluations. This paper provides an understanding of reader–poster dyads associated with interpersonal similarities in residency and elite status that affect restaurant review assessment. An exploratory analysis is conducted using 5368 dyadic datasets collected from Yelp.com. Readers’ residency is important to assess in a review because of distinctive search behaviours that change the perceptions of review evaluations. Elite status was primarily used as a tool for socializing with similar individuals only, whereas it functioned as a quality metric for non-local readers.