We can. I've never made a decision to read a book due to its author having won a Nobel prize, nor watched a film because of it being an Academy Award winner. Th

We can. I've never made a decision to read a book due to its author having won a Nobel prize, nor watched a film because of it being an Academy Award winner. The opinions of people in those particular insider-groups are not interesting to me (except indirectly, in how they affect broader society; that's quite interesting). Actually sometimes after hearing about a book or film I think I might be interested in I'll go and read a load of 'normal people' reviews on Amazon or IMDb and they might sway me one way or the other. They may not be skilled reviewers but they use their own words and it helps me ascertain what kind of persons they are and whether their opinions are likely to be in tune with my own. Also I get a spread, rather than niche view. So I suppose that means that for me, normal people's opinions hold more prestige than the Nobel Committee's.