There is still some trust I have with a stranger that posts on hackernews. Perhaps misplaced, but it's there nonetheless. I trust that if they took the time to

There is still some trust I have with a stranger that posts on hackernews. Perhaps misplaced, but it's there nonetheless. I trust that if they took the time to post about a product, that they genuinely believe in it. If I later learn that they are just a marketer for that product, that trust will get diminished. To give another example, why do we trust product reviews by strangers on Amazon? They could all be just marketers in disguise after all. But Amazon actually puts effort into removing fake reviews. Why? Because honesty matters. And when you have a bias or profit motive, it's important to disclose that part too, so people can judge your review appropriately. Paid reviewers exist, but they are usually disclosed.