Getting a list of hard faults is useful though not exhaustive.
There's the other extreme, relying too much on direct measurements, which can happen at highest end when we don't know which measurements are relevant in what way. (Examples would be mostly luxury - audio equipment, cars, yachts.) A specialist may be required to make sense of these and they are not easily vetted or found.
Google search I guess is good for entertainment search or “buzzy” things like whatever is trending on the trendsetting social networks of the day, but regular search is too spammy and farmed stuff. Often it’s junk.
I imagine that either "they" (the advertisers/companies) have either already figured this out and are learning how to leave grassroots-looking comments, or they will pretty soon.
I'm curious to see what kind of innuendo they invent for "astroturfing Reddit reviews".
I don't think the question should be "if" it is happening, but how far some companies go (behind-the-scenes) to use human voices not only defend but advance their position.
I sense reddit is full of sock puppets and sell outs. How can it not be?
The worst part is that if they were a bit more skilled about it, it would be indistinguishable from an actual recommendation. Give it another few years.