You've Been Yelped

Yelp encourages people to be unsparing in their critiques of companies that can't take it -- companies that are small, independent, and not particularly profitable. The site capitalizes on our impulses to take down the Man, but, in doing so, turns us against mom-and-pop businesses -- already hit by globalization, consolidation, and a recession. At its best, Yelp is meritocratic, helping good...