2026-03-07T18:17:01Z https://air.repo.nii.ac.jp/oai

oai:air.repo.nii.ac.jp:02001526 2025-05-27T04:40:54Z 597:694:722:1748219458661

“McSnitches get McStitches”: An Analysis of Yelp Review Bombing in the Wake of Luigi Mangione’s Arrest CACALI, Evan Regis Akita University open access This study examines how review bombing interacts with the conventions of consumer feedback, using the case of Yelp reviews from a McDonald’s connected to the arrest of Luigi Mangione. By analyzing a dataset of protest (N = 213) and control reviews (N = 87) through word frequency analysis, sentiment analysis, and thematic coding, the study identifies how ideological messaging blends into a traditional consumer review genre. The findings suggest that while the protest reviews sometimes use features of conventional restaurant complaints, they strategically repurpose consumer grievance language to advance ideological goals. Sentiment analysis reveals a heightened presence of anger and disgust alongside positive affect, underscoring a blend of moral outrage and performative engagement. Thematic analysis further reveals the protest reviews incorporate broader socio-political narratives, including class betrayal, healthcare injustice, and heroism, often employing humor and memetic framing. These results underscore how ideologically motivated review bombing extends beyond individual consumer dissatisfaction, transforming online review platforms into spaces of collective expression and digital protest. Akita Association of English Studies 2025-03-31 eng journal article VoR http://hdl.handle.net/10295/0002001526 https://air.repo.nii.ac.jp/records/2001526 2759-5234 Akita English Studies (Akita eigo eibungaku) 秋田英語英文学 66 44 57 https://air.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/2001526/files/ake66(44).pdf application/pdf 655 KB 2025-05-27