Online reviews shaped the internet as we know it. Now they might be in danger.

In a primitive world before George W. Bush's presidency, iPhones, Olivia Rodrigo's birth, and the release of the seminal Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, Eric Goldman just wanted to find a good vegan restaurant.

We all know what we'd do in our post-Romy and Michele world: Within seconds, you'd practically be on...