Inflation in Reputation Systems? Newcomers, Veterans, and Socialization within a Platform Community

Rating inflation is prevalent in reputation systems and can reduce their informational value. Through an exploratory mixed‐method study, we examine how and why rating inflation behavior evolves over time as reviewers socialize within an online reputation system platform community. We show that some reviewers are more prone to inflation while others avoid it. We draw on the theory of reciprocity and distinguish among three archetypical phases of reviewers: (1) the Newcomer Phase, (2) the Inflator Phase, and (3) the Veteran Phase. Newcomers who are not yet socialized in the platform community are less likely to inflate their ratings. Inflators exhibit the social norm of direct reviewer reciprocity and inflate their ratings. Veterans, reflecting the social norm of generalized reviewer reciprocity, are less likely to inflate ratings. Instead, they are more candid because they are driven by a commitment to help the platform community. These archetypical phases correspond to reviewers’ increasing socialization within the platform community and exposure to different digital platform affordances. Together, these processes shape which forms of reciprocity become salient over time—whether lacking, direct, or generalized—which consequently drive distinct reviewer behaviors. While most research on rating inflation emphasizes direct reciprocity, we highlight how reviewers can shift toward less inflated behaviors over time, aligning with generalized reciprocity towards the platform community. Thus, this exploratory work suggests an evolutionary process of rating behavior whereby rating inflation follows an inverted U-shape over the reviewer lifecycle.