let me counter your anecdote with mine: I saw something somebody else picked, and it was complete trash. In fact, this is trivially the case every time I see a

let me counter your anecdote with mine: I saw something somebody else picked, and it was complete trash. In fact, this is trivially the case every time I see anything awful that has at least one positive review. Judging by, say, RT page for the last jedi, this is a common experience. It's all about the signal to noise ratio. It is more likely that you'll enjoy a work that was enjoyed by people similar to you. It is also possible that you'll enjoy a work recommended solely by some random pseudonym on the internet, but less likely.