All Lyft Drivers Have Gone Insane — And What That Means for Social Data
For the past week, I’ve had to use Lyft. And I’ve had more bizarre experiences than ever before.
But what’s notable is that every driver I rode with had a perfect 5-star rating — including those who seemed unbalanced or dangerous.
Upon reflection, I always rate someone 5 stars unless they seem to be a genuine risk to other passengers. I’m not going to screw with someone’s income for anything less.
And that could be the problem.
Lyft Driver #1
Spoke at length about how she had convinced her 8-year-old granddaughter to “keep secrets” from other adults and give them to her during “secret time.” You know, as a bonding experience.
Lyft Driver #2
Very cheerful fellow. Pleasant. Was physically wrapping a gift the entire time I was in the vehicle — while actively driving. With packing paper, a box, gift wrap, and what looked like twine.
Lyft Driver #3
Car kept making a haunting and persistent beeping noise. I looked around. I asked him if my door was open. He said “No, I just never wear my seat belt. I hate it.” He did, indeed, not put on his seatbelt the entire ride.
Lyft Driver #4
Had a dog with him. No complaints.
Lyft Driver #5
I got into the vehicle and said where I was going. He said, “I hate that town.” I asked, “Why?” He said, “Because they gave me a DUI!”
Lyft Driver #6
A precious angel. Patiently drove me through traffic. A 20-minute ride became a 60-minute ride because all the roads were closed. Not his fault. Protect him.
Lyft Driver #7
Spent twenty minutes complaining about his drug charges. Pivoted to asking me if I knew how many people disappeared, murdered and missing, in the mountains. Followed me into my workplace.
So, Why is Lyft Garbage — And What Does That Mean for Social Data?
So, my theory is that people, by now, understand how the 5-star rating system works. 1 through 4 is garbage and you’re going to be fired. 5 is the bare minimum for retaining your job.
And that’s rendered the data repository useless.
Even if Lyft or Uber drivers may seem a little unbalanced, we’re encouraged to reward them with a 5-star rating. As a consequence, the entire system is falling apart.
In the Black Mirror episode Nosedive, the main character struggles to keep up her social score. She’s “downvoted” continuously, eventually leading to a psychological breakdown and a visit to jail.
But humanity actually isn’t that bold, especially when face-to-face with another person. When scores have consequences, we are proving to be much more willing to err on the side of charity.
If we know that someone will actually lose their job over a less than perfect rating, we will give them a perfect rating. This leads to a proliferation of 5-star ratings that mean nothing.
For the industry, that means other metrics, beyond human reporting, are needed to determine quality. Would the person, for instance, want to use this driver again? That would be the most honest variable.
For humanity, it probably means we shouldn’t be reducing humans to numbers while heavily automating all our interactions.
