Yes. In truth, I am far more likely to be swayed to read a book because some intellectual wrote a positive review, than because of crowdsourced ratings/recomme

Yes. In truth, I am far more likely to be swayed to read a book because some intellectual wrote a positive review, than because of crowdsourced ratings/recommendations. But that intellectual will not be someone who is placed before me as a generic source of "discernibly good judgement". I'll do the discerning for my self. The critic I follow we usually be a blogger or columnist who I have followed for posts that they write abou their own field of expertise.