A project by: Anne Helmond, Erik Hekman, Kate Miltner, Molly Kalan, Bazilah Talip, Sarietha Engelbrecht (thanks Bernhard Rieder & Erik Borra!) Project website: https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/AmazonAsIssueEngine

1. Amazon as Issue Engine: Islands of Weird
Kate Miltner, Molly Kalan, Anne Helmond, Sarietha Engelbrecht,
Erik Hekman, Bazilah Atalip (thanks Bernhard Rieder & Erik Borra!)

3. Research Questions:
1.To what degree is there overlap between the various mock
commenters in Amazon? (Is there a mock review culture?)
2.Is this activity being generated organically or through
organized activity? Can we trace this?
Tools
• To collect and process Amazon reviews and corresponding
data we built our own scraping software (node.js). This tool
collected information about 31 Amazon products which were
later used for various data analyses.
• We used Gephi for data visualisation
• Google Refine was used to filter and analyze data.
Data Set
• We worked with 31 products and their reviews stored in 1,915
separate html files.

4. Results Overview
Two mock review spaces in Amazon:
- Political issue space
- Amazon Reviewer Community (“LOLReview”) space
Political Space:
- One-off comments
- Largely driven by news
LOLReview Space:
- Performance of community through core product
corpus and intertextual references
- Heavy involvement from Top Reviewers

5. Why These Products?
- Extremely expensive
- Political
- Gendered
- Absurd/Obvious
- Culturally ironic
- Intertextual/Referential

6. Community via Recommendation Engine?
“I've been thinking for awhile of upgrading my 570 Banana Slicer to the
571, but first I need to know if it is compatible with non-chiquitas, and also
what are the advantages of the 571 over the 570? Oddly, when I did a
search for banana slicer, it came up with (besides a couple of
banana slicers) an album called the Best of David Hassellhoff. No
joke! Maybe he has a song about banana slicing in it.”
“I own these pens and they are great. They are pens. They work. But
what really interests me is this: under the "Customers Who
Viewed This Item Also Viewed" title, the number one choice is (the
Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer): Now, that's a bit Freudian for me, but
power to the ladies! Buy your women's pens, and get that banana
slicer while you're at it. And enjoy!”
- Luv2Teach (Southern California)

7. Amazon product
recommendations

8. Amazon reviewers
community

9. jazzfan 007
Amazon reviewers
community
bella ricci (scotland)
million random digits
pike
beloved
david zimmerman (baton rouge, la usa) (vine voice)
microwave cooking
cranky yankee (boston, ma)
d. r. thayer "heavenly_uu" (los angeles, ca usa)
herr tarquin biskuitfa "aka tarquin f'tang f... (luton)
carl m. rabbin (olney, maryland usa)
stuart cunningham
h. scharnberg (dorf, germany)
a customer
j
c. f. hill "cfh"
margaret dybala "too many books, too little time"
a. trotter (new hampshire) (vine voice)
j. hermida "lover and fighter"
chairman of the board "smith board of directors" (w. sacramento, california)
nas (ca)
jonathan c. pike (canton, ma) (vine voice)
with Amazon top reviewers
catinahat "catinkaty" (gulf coast, tx)
matthew cayenne "mwcayenne" (indiana)
the wolf master "mac the wolf" (awesome, wis the us of a)
handy man "dog lover" (northen indiana, usa)
s. d. boraston (radstock)
mexican wolf boy (mexico)
damon
peter shipley (berkeley)
sadpickle
david luzader (phoenix, az)
mike (providence, ri)
s. "strap" (honolulu, hi)
michael a. duvernois
c. nekritz (new york, ny)
j. laury "zombie killer"
a
apoem "apoem"
h. perry
mie ishii "russian doll"
barry gilbert (boulder, co united states)
blue6
coffeegurrl "coffeegurrl" (oregon)
e. verrillo (williamsburg, ma)
j. arena
jeh (i -10)
melanie l "writer" (minnesota, usa)
r. m. nordstrom "chel" (vancouver, bc canada)
lutwidge (san francisco)
joe zyzyx (maryland, united states)
mcbowlerpimp (w. syracuse, ne)
general zorg (planet ksadjlak g)
joanna daneman
twal (uk)
m. loy "c. d. ward" (miskatonic, me)
jagadeesh k. venugopal
steffan piper
t. alan taylor
lola
the man in pants "nad"
elbatcho della vente
bic medium
desdecardo
gil gildner (little rock, ar)
kal-el
rollin' deuces on da blinga' "sidekick me at ... (livnlarge411712@aol.com)
khati
teofisto (san diego, ca)
m. leeds (huxley, ia)
dee a
brooke
bigdog
renee gilbert (united states)
cyphis
liza sauls "thingamajig" (rancho cucamonga, ca usa)
m. smith (powell, ohio usa)
a. rosenberg (lost somewhere in ca)
dustin downs
gordon d. (brooklyn, ny united states)
rock fan "fan of classic roc
guy the gorilla (virginia)
northcutt
bailey
eric
ufo detector
tamara thorne (california, usa) (vine voice)
elias k. meeks
robin lee
josh (deep in the woods)
oh captain awesomeface "my captain awesomeface" (usa)
william bradford
toilet seats
thomas
justin stanchfield (wise river, montana united states)
g. jones "rj357" (vacaville, ca)
georgestark
michael
paul moskowitz
sam
jeff m
bubba
krissskrosss "kriss"
laurie
krickerprof (kirksville, mo, usa)
h
vikkitikkitavi "
avid rea
joh
tom mille
gilbert glib (los angeles, ca)
t. wayne (los angeles, ca)
b. yoder "realist...." (7th level of hell...)
rich meyer "rich" (st. clair, pa usa)
p. vanzo "dr who" (new zealand)
yankee2ny (usa)
carol sheppard "grandma" (fla)
david "dmb" (the south)
john griffin (ireland)
pete
travis pelt "freelance guru" (kayaking through dc)
bachelier ""1004"" (ile de france)
alon a. aloni "im a plethora of useless infor... (my pants)
brett
o. de frias "realmadrid2727"
tweedy (scotland, uk)
scott b. macdonald (ny)
m "cultofstrawberry"
patricia "a reader"
i. guch (va)
m. mcnully "fantasy reader/writer." (texas)
david
stupid_hurts
kevin s. (new jersey, usa)
kevin m. derby
chris coffman (st. louis, mo)
nerdhammer
kristen e. bogren "kristen bogren" (los lunas, nm usa) (vine voice)
m. heiss (usa)
coffee catholic (planet earth)
brian w. kunkemoeller "kunkembw" (cincinnati, oh usa)
e r (brooklyn, ny)
cat feet (united states) (vine voice)
mad gremlin
sol rosenberg "sol rosenberg" (groom lake, nv)
rico
mountain youth three sleeve
modern blue argonaut
lynn a. kendall "bibliophile, -phage, and -ma... (silicon valley, ca united states) (vine voice)
eager reader
k. patterson "disgruntled citizen"
a. dent "aragorn"
rahul p. kamath "carbon-based life form" (madison, wi)
p. breakfield iv "tom steele" (greenville, sc united states) (vine voice)
d. elson "moomooo !!!!!" (moo moo, moooo)
c. bleakley (central illinois)
damnably rarer ilk (tucson, az)
bob dobbs (washington, dc usa)
georgina (portlandia)
dre
reviewbot
george takei
john hedley (san francisco, ca united states)
scott (nj)
beatle23 "beatle23" (evanston, il usa)
danaful (north branford, ct)
y. r. wu "the will to win is nothing without"
abreo
anne
50 shades of bic
j. a. konrath
j. clark jason kirkfield "the pride and sorrow of chil"
sarah stegall (california usa) (vine voice)
s. j. steimer
houston aggie (houston, tx united states)
"rocketeir" (erie, colorado usa)
j. goebel (il)
v. zhirinovsky "vlad the mad" (virginia, usa)
lex10 "http://glyphjockey.com" (nj usa)
morrigan alexandros "the opinionated me" (vine voice)
b. burgdorf (in united states)
brutus "momofthree"
big pens (women)
barbara (tulsa, oklahoma)
cordyceps
johannes hansen
timboliah pantsonfiyah "timboliah pants on fiyah" (usa) gordon
steven l.
siddharth
firechill (allentown, pa united states)
nick spalding (united kingdom...the warm bit in the south)
voiceofnoone
kevin "kp 2001" (annapolis, moldova, republic of)
bartok kinski "a casual stroll through the lu... (prague)
noname
absolut_me
d. williamson
s. fisher (los gatos, ca)
freestateracer (laurel,, ms. united states)
kid's review
marajadelotus
kort "art, music, book and movie enthusiast"
tank
kane gruber (tallahassee, fl united states)
t. elliot "t. elliot" (uk)
neurosplicer (freeside, in geosynchronous orbit)
ilovemydrummerboyfriend "a do it diva" (the district, usa)
ethan brehm
a reader (salt lake city, ut)
ij reilly
casey
mr. nowhere (las vegas, nv)
peary perry
thespeedytomato
e. jackson
clark
jj
tyler durden "camdenc" (little rock, ar)
cybermurph (new york, new york)
frank perkins (ct, usa)
andrew f. (philadelphia, pa, usa)
karl pedorski (somewhere else)
cohaagen
queenb (nyc)
barlow
sickly child "the sickly child" (fort thomas, ky usa)
travis the impaler
jack l. aiello
road apple "who brings the mustard?"
whole milk
paul bellefeuille (new hampshire)
bob spankymonkey (pukesville)
overlook1977 (raleigh, nc united states)
p. lacho "travel hawk"
ben winegard (columbia, missouri)
cat
emma
d. hayes
a new fan! (newport news, va)
acedetective
matthew barchok
s. j. huse (rehoboth, de usa)
tarheelcoin
d. hobbs "lordboots" (seattle, wa usa)
butch
___ ___ _ (brooklyn, ny)
r. blais "lol wut" (fernley, nv usa) (vine voice)
chief wiggum (kettering, uk)
keith french
over the river (washington, dc)david a. james (fairbanks, ak usa)
marsha
s. mayo (vine voice)
uranium ore
supercow (pasadena, ca)
zachariah "zachariah"
a. courie "treb" (freedom's fortress)
ken
a. earle (bellevue, wa)
suzanne c (vienna, va)
mike
tiburon "d" (colorado springs)
songbird (houston, tx)
dr. c. (washington, dc, usa)
liz
mb "mb" (edison, nj usa)
bob
josh
agito
boston bluestocking (cambridge, mass.)
andrew
reverend (denver, co usa)
nathan beauchamp "consumeradvocate"
e. dillinger
stevie
michael l. giro (sacramento, ca)
r. moses (new hampshire)
catherine swinford (raleigh-ish, nc) (vine voice)
screenwriter morgan
mark twain
d. jones
seblick (pennsylvania, usa)
lisa
james thiele
myron d dornic (dallas, tx united states)
princess
k. bolivar
b
al
cuthere
broblu "illiterate" (m bridge, ns can)
jaime gomez
ashley
diane
emmie (oregon)
cletus (cooterville)
admiralissimo voodoo (ohio)
richard
nadine saubers "my view" (san diego)
sonja
jonathan
erin
sick of it all (suck city)
jeff in tucson (tucson, arizona)
sarah (kent, uk)
christopher brown
nobel prize winner
nicholas provenzo (virginia, usa)
joseph t. webb (lake mary, florida)
min byong chang "mbc" (uijongbu south korea)
kevin michael king (worcester, ma united states)
rob
lisette baxter (brisbane,australia)
eric shaw (united states)
jesus of amazon "the lord your savior." (heaven, earth)
marc b. walker "marc walker" (austin, tx usa)
m. lucas "mlucasone" (lima, per)
s. regn
j. e. bornstein "thehal"
paul pearson
spamx
harmless gryphon (nowhere worth mentioning)
randall peek
will
javier del bosco
r. carroll
wheelmate
lollie dot com "i love my bicycles" (in tahlequah, ok)
g. kline "art and technology" (hoboken, nj)
terry barker (seattle, usa)
yan c. staab
james o'brien
navy bean "navy bean" (amsterdam/dayton, oh)
attorney man
papa vic "papa vic" (hollywood, ca)
kevin
michael j. edelman
mark
ej "ej" (boston)
alex
daniel a. garcia (orange county, ca)
c. hill (wasilla, alaska)
spinky (wv usa)
anonymous
alexander e. chatfield
tfinch
g. mattione "avid reader" (englewood, co united states)
j. green
michelle
alex delarge
morley dotes "morleydotes"
emily hall (tuscaloosa al)
parent child testing
george bungle
hippoguy (illinois)
darby powell
god
jon miller "jon acua-miller" (austin, tx usa)
shady ave reader (arlington, va)
j. steinhebel "js"
d. stephenson "danfish24"
nathan bonsal "nathan" (rio rancho, nm usa)
susan adamo baumbach
m. booda "legally bland" (anytown, usa)
tpo (bora bora)
bob dog (boondocks, nc)
denon cable
capt a. braidy
mrliar
catbird
grazzidad
adelmar edison sutra "reality observer" (kissimmee, fl)
gigi
virginia
window maven (boston ma)
warren redlich
jon
socrates
brad
maria
richard nightwood (republic of assyria)
el fuego
no fault lawyer "no fault lawyer" (new york, ny)
me
velodog (doylestown, oh)
moritz reichelt "moritz r" (berlin, germany)
big jim
debra (newnan, ga)
billy boy
jonathan p clarke
confused
r. chambers "ras" (tx)
electric fred "fred hy." (san francisco bay area)
james snape "page-zone" (ohio)
barry (pnw)
patrick
vicki
b. casey (los angeles)
ben
delia (eugene, or)
chana_s
stormdog17
a. koebel (canada)
lynb362002
ellen lopez
teddifish
chap gmunderson (seattle, wa united states)
huge penis
hank
j. pyron
amish ninja
tom
martin m. rosenbluth (nc)
gen. jc christian, patriot
nicole
no
james
este
blondebananaslicer
brion l. boyles "zardoz" (woodbridge, virginia)
g
john s. harris "the voice of reason" (memphis, tn) (vine voice)
miguel
denice bee "denicebrown_2000" (detroit, mi united states)
sara
gwbush
liam sweeny
h. meigs "happy customer" (san francisco, ca)
a. sargeant "sarge"
dave goldenberg "yodaveg" (ridgefield, ct)
aj
robert d. moses (sayville, ny united states)
ollie
bobo
d j conway
kc
john c. gardner (reno, nevada usa)
jeff daly
trevor
joe tonigh
adammongothetrucker
jamesvreitano
f millsjon doeringer usa)
(se texas)(ny,
elise
r. jersak (coon rapids, mn united states)
cas marino (new york states)
punksten
dante bacani (chicago, il, unitedcity, ny)
captain feathersword
boomdiada
j meyers
bardofbyte
loyd e. eskildson "pragmatist" (phoenix, az.) (hall of fame reviewer)
bargain hunter (grand rapids, mi)
jillybean
t. mackaythisdude
(manhattan beach, michael brown "screemincheese" (new york, ny united states)
ca usa)
sloop
emmell seasmith "barely literate"
janet
mountainwalt
magical unicorn
madeleine b. (boulder, co)
lightsleeper (chicago)
gml (austin)
pmsteve
steve
donald sensing (fairview, tenn.)
woolery
don
bigdave
guy
ricky cilantro (texas)
jamie
m. j. green "mj." (southern usa)
george
katie
penname
fred
gardening fool "kindsoul" (southern california)
charles bittner "disabled comedian and gamer!"
guy from pasadena "mel" (pasadena, ca usa)
music_geek
playmobil
jake
r. herschler
dindy robinson (arlington, tx united states) (vine voice)
sergei chernov (los angeles)
pteechka "pteechka" (nc)
rashelle jones
eric (bloomington, mn, united states)
jason
captain shipdodge
randolph mcfoo
john hlinkocaitlin (washington, dc, usa)
"jhlink"
jt
rick
sybilla goodall (greater boston area)
therosen "therosen" (new york, ny united states) (vine voice)
jeff
rambler "willat" (morris county, nj usa)
psychanalyst717 (new york, ny)
emmbee "emmbee1962" (kansas city mo)
ronny marshall (los angeles, ca)
richard crystal "baltimore native" (baltimore, maryland united states)
jim
chris (new york city)
m. block (australia)
d. maurillo "bella mia" (san jose, california)
mark r. hoffman "highplainsdrifter" (college park, md)
birth control
zachslow
jerome albertson (topeka, ks)
joe lippeatt (texas, united states)
mm
andy
mountain man
drew
woody bonzo
wolfman
grubmeister
j. sykes "mr. s"
craig
jimmy nathan
gary
pat kight "pat" (oregon, usa)
cjmccarthy
chen
k
e. bradley "luckylady1978" (new york city)
b. jolliff
rich
consumer
mc
andrea
nancy post
ol' smoky "loki in the smokies" (tennessee)
md
s. tkacs (dallas, tx)
jer
jd
moviegoer
lori
patrick odanielt. sanders (providence, ri united states)
southcbishop
douglas page free speech lover "free speech lover" (los angeles, ca united states)
hen yen
s. armstrong (sc)
frank
todd
jim, durham
eric hamen "governor of texas" (hilliard, oh united states)
michael r. medwith
shawn anderson "shawn" (geneseo, illinois usa)
bssgrl "bssgrl" (hamden, ct)
s. venable (pasadena, ca united states)
slobodan cruthirds
amazonian djm (jungle)
c. battersby
ig
black_unicorn (pennsylvania)
rob (your head)
christopher barrett "cmbadass"
blueskid (usa)
rachel tsoumbakos "barefoot.writer" (melbourne, australia)
tammy
happy customer
beth
apologiaphoenix (corryton, tn)
al a'quiver
leftfoot (florida)
cletus
robert
gwentech "rickp" (usa)
brian
c. stoneham (texas)
james coursey
mediocre films "mediocrefilms.com" (los angeles, ca)
sean o.
emily
just ask me! "bronxgal" (brooklyn, ny usa) (vine voice)
dan
matthew holzmann
d. speer (west palm florida)
rinner
joey
jp
patrick carroll "winebibber"
dan (minnesota)
dave
jess
karrieal
jc
poephreak
the maestro
jason (x) (vine voice)
nomorenicknamesleft "nomorenicknamesleft" (k space)
kate mcintyre (toluca lake, ca united states)
bp
bradley d. mcdevitt "boudreaux gros" (chapel hill, nc)(texas)
vince "deal finder"
phil
ryan
e. bonheim (ct)
rachel
scott
j. hammerling "beer drinker"
leon dekelbaum "process613" (santa monica, ca)
karen
robert lassiter jr (kinston, north carolina)
omar "abu ahmad jihad"
robert g crane
paul
brett "bret_p" (beaverton, or usa)
wayfinder (usa)
p. wang
jesper (highland park, tx)
sadie
flam
larry carnes
paul foster (austin, tx)
sally
c. b. manges (westsylvania, pa united states)
dawn gagnon "dawnella" (sc)
unicorn horn
john
buzzn "more than this" (marin county, ca usa)
stephen
anglojen (d.c.)
jimbob
sursk73
crafty is asstephany (austin, tx usa
crafty does
mam121 (baton rouge, la
420
the taminator "there's no going"marzipanda" ... (the people's r
a. tran back. you've (palo alto, ca)
mr. anchovy "he reads books!" (new
pinkie
micah tim
pen name
matthew
ravenskya "princess of horror" (vine
greg
bb
gail
three deep (hickory holler, ar)
batman
peter "franken" (strugglesville)
kyle j. von bose "kyle von bose" (anchorage, alaska)
patrick w. crabtree "the old grottomaster"
fozzetti (nevada)
fred kepler "fredrock" (portland, or usa)
wandrwoman "wise as aphrodite" alphadog "sapienza" (rome, italy)
nick
james k polk "napoleon of the stump"
furiouss (georgia)
deb
farvel newvan "farv"
steven j. hoffman (takoma park, md usa)
matt
greenguy (chicago il)
avid reader
mn ghosthunter (mn)
brian torrence (overlook hotel)
chester huffy (north stripper pole, nv)
wally
michael s. edwards (oahu, hawaii)
ford prefect "gargleblaster" (arizona)
t. finan "tman" (west coast)
william
avoid huge ships
j. craft "luvs2shop2much"
cap'n stoob "stoob" (usa)
paul bright "paul bright" (near san fran)
sar

10. Amazon reviewers
community
with Amazon top reviewers

11. Amazon reviewers
community
reply networks

12. LOLReviews are intertextual/cross-referential

13. Top Cross-Referenced Products

14. Avoid Huge Ships
Banana Slicer
BIC Cristal Black
Birth Control (Book)
David Hasselhoff
Denon Cable
Million Random Digits
Mizuno Shoe
Badonkadonk Tank
Three Moon Wolf Tee
Toilet Seat Outlook
Tuscan Whole Milk
UFO detector
Uranium Ore
Wheelmate Laptop Desk
Wandrwoman
Robin Lee
Paul Moskowitz
Michael A. Duvernois
M "CultOfStrawberry"
krissskrosss
Kort
Kevin M. Derby
J. Arena
J. A. KONRATH
George Takei
Dre
C. F. Hill
Amazon top reviewers commenting on multiple products in our product set
Charles Bittner
Review as performance of community

19. 7/5/13
TagCrowd: make your own tag cloud from any text
able (98) best (109) better (104)
full
buy (129) color (102) cook (102) cover
(324) getting (106) going (94)
love (121)
(155)
dinner
(127) enough (110)
fit
(134)
found
(128)
hold (166) home (150) husband (105) job (110) keep (325) life (121) looking (127)
man (170) mitt (195) needs (147) office (115) open (103) pages (171) paper
(119) pay (100) people (112)
product (213) purchase (99) qualified (101) really (200) rings (270) romney (190) sure (102)
thank (164) things (100) think (189) thought (95) used (172) view (124) white (171) woman (278)
pockets (101)
women
(1414)
work (270) years (153)