The internet was supposed to empower customers but all the power is in the hands of the sellers

For environmental reasons, I want to be a better consumer. And also because I’m sick of buying crap. Buy less, buy better. But that’s much easier said than done. To be the wise, discerning consumer I want to be, I need reliable information about the quality of what I’m planning to buy. While there are recommendations galore available online, my strongest suspicion is that barely any can be considered reliable.

I need some new walking shoes, and a well-known search engine instantly furnishes me with a long list of websites on which there are relatively short lists of the best walking boots. Words such as “trust” and “review” and “test” feature heavily on these sites. Even on the more reputable ones, you will have to look closely to find the small print, along the lines of: “We make money from putting these walking shoes in our list of best walking shoes, especially if you click through to whichever retailer we link to.”

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