大象传媒

Why should we get into a stranger鈥檚 car 鈥� or buy a stranger鈥檚 laser pointer? In 1997, eBay introduced a feature that helped solve the problem: Seller Feedback. Jim Griffith was eBay鈥檚 first customer service representative; at the time, he says 鈥渘o-one had ever seen anything like [it]鈥�. The idea of both parties rating each other after a transaction has now become ubiquitous. You buy something online 鈥� you rate the seller, the seller rates you. Or you use a ride-sharing service, like Uber 鈥� you rate the driver, the driver rates you. And a few positive reviews set our mind at ease about a stranger. Jim Griffith is not sure eBay would have grown without it. Online matching platforms would still exist, of course 鈥� but perhaps they鈥檇 be more like hitch-hiking today: a niche pursuit for the unusually adventurous, not a mainstream activity that鈥檚 transforming whole sectors of the economy.

Producer: Ben Crighton
Editors: Richard Knight and Richard Vadon

(Image: Hand touching stars, Credit: Cherezoff/Shutterstock)