Review This

We're a cynical bunch. We all judge a book by its cover and take great joy in picking apart an individual's flaws. Perhaps it's human nature or maybe we just do it to make ourselves feel better. Either way reviewing objects, places, and people has become central to our society. No holiday, trip to the cinema or evening of gastronomical delight will be planned without having used some medium of review. These reviews help us select the best hotels and restaurants to ensure we don't end up eating rancid takeaways and prevent a weekend away in any number of sordid getaways.

Does this lose us a sense of adventure? We can reminisce with fondness of a short break we once had at the Villa del Shite, where the cockroaches reigned supreme and the staff were a product of generations of intense inter-breeding. You can take these bad experiences as a learning curve and makes a trip to paradise all the more satisfying. What makes something good or bad is also down to an individual's taste, the Spice Girls to some might be the greatest musicians of their generation and their musical ability surpasses anything in the Beatles back catalogue.

The culture of reviewing has been brought to us through our television screens as well. Gormless celebrities tap their heels and dance the conga with their satsuma skinned partners on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing as the panel dish out their numerical score. Simon Cowell could perhaps be the high trousered king of reviewing, his assault on television has let us crush the dreams of a production line of pop-wannabes. Big Brother, Celebrity Get Me Out of Here the list goes on, even more laid back shows like Come Dine With Me are based around a reviewing process.

Central to a review is us. We are encouraged to pick up the phone and vote, but why? For cold hard cash maybe? Money is obviously one of the main reasons for getting us to vote. By spending £10 on phone calls and texting you feel that you have contributed to that someone by making their dreams come true. Now they can follow their pop star dream and share lines of cocaine with Terry Wogan and take swimming lessons in Michael Barrymore's pool.

Money is not the only reason we are encouraged to vote. By letting the humble TV and computer know what we want the corporations have a better idea of what to sell to us. No longer do they have to euthanize failed boy bands and mercilessly slaughter Blue Peter presenters. We now vote for what we want so they can immediately sell it back to us. The internet has fully realised this, particularly with social media. Through Facebook we select and share our favourite foods, music, places and people which gives advertisers an easy job of what and who to advertise to.

Next time you browse through clothes online don't think its mere coincidence the same pair of shoes are staring you in the face two hours later. Jeans, Jumpers, CD's and flight offers will stalk you like Silvio Berlusconi at an orgy party. Do however remember to tell yourself the daily bombardment from penis enhancing companies and get fit campaigns is pure coincidence.