In the world of online shopping, many online purchases are based on careful consideration of star ratings and product reviews left by complete strangers. But should you trust customer reviews when deciding what to purchase? And do these mysterious reviewers have your best interests in mind? Here’s what you need to know.

Consumers today are skeptical, says Zach Pardes at review platform Trustpilot. “We live in a time when trust is completely under attack,” Pardes says. “So people are reading reviews and consuming them more than ever before, but I think there is a healthy skepticism at times of what they’re reading. Fake reviews do exist. Fake reviews include, but aren’t limited to, robot-generated reviews and reviews that are influenced by the seller.”

Of course, not all user reviews you read online are fake. High-quality reviews are a valuable too when making a variety or purchases. Pardes says Trustpilot features a team in place to detect and remove fake reviews. Perhaps one of the best-known review websites is Yelp. Yelp takes measures to ensure “high quality content,” says Katheen Liu, a company spokes person. That includes allowing Yelp’s community of business owners and users to fag content that may go against the site’s terms of service.

Since user reviews do provide helpful information, reviews as a whole shouldn’t be repudiated. But how can you tell the difference between what’s real and what’s not? It’s close to impossible for the everyday consumer. But if you conduct your investigations carefully, you can make an informed purchase.

Check more than one review source. Pardes advises consumers to read reviews on multiple platforms.“If you’re about to book a $10,000 vacation, you’d never rely only on the photos and the reviews posted by that hotel’s marketing team,” he says. “You’re going to want to use a third-party independent resource.” Read more than a handful of reviews. Pardes says there is “safety in numbers.” Question perfection. Pardes says consumers shouldn’t trust reviews that show only five stars.“Nobody’s perfect, so you can’t possibly have a perfect five-star review in every single category of your business,” he says.

Have you ever heard of e-waste(electric waste,电子垃圾), which can be produced every day? How do you deal with your computers, MP4 players and mobile phones when they’re broken or you want a new one?

Most people just throw them away. With the development of electric industry, e-waste pollution has become a serious problem. According to the United Nations, in 2014, people around the world produced 41.8 million tons of e-waste and only recycled 6.5 million tons. The US was the biggest waster, producing 7.1 million tons. China came second, with 6 million tons.

It’s important to pay attention to e-waste. It can either be valuable or harmful, depending on how we deal with it. E-waste is a valuable urban mine（城市矿藏）. The value of the metals, like gold and silver in the waste around the world, is amazing. And the metals can be reused. But if people throw them away, the toxic chemicals can get into the earth or air, affecting the environment and people’s health.

Apple, for example, now recycle people’s used products in China when they are buying new ones. The company will test and repair the used ones and sell them at lower prices. To help reduce e-waste, we can also take computers and phones to see if companies offer recycling programs.

Microaggressions are minor racial attacks. Gabrielle, a 15-year-old teenager, knows the pain of microaggressions all too well. “When I was in the seventh grade, this guy told me that my hair looked like a rat’s nest and I needed to comb it. It makes you feel awful and makes you feel like you are dismissed and it makes you feel unheard,” she said.

Microaggressions are being spoken about now by young black teenagers like Gabrielle in light of the racial unrest across the country and amid the new school year. “We’re pretty for black girls,” said other black teenagers, describing microaggressions they have faced. “We’re outspoken to be black.” According to a study, black teenagers experience an average of over five incidents of discrimination a day, specifically teenage girls.

“I do believe that microaggressions and racism are part of a series of continuous events,” Dr. Walker said. “Experiencing acts of microaggression can have an effect on self-respect,” she said. “It starts to affect anxiety and depression and worry.” Black children who are exposed to racism face health risks too, with higher rates of obesity, as well as depression, data shows. The rate of suicide attempts among black teens also continues to rise, while rates among other racial groups have fallen.

Microaggressions can also be complicated, especially if the person who is offending has no intention of being hurtful. Walker’s advice for young black girls is to both take a deep breath and also try to educate other people, when possible. “Take a deep breath and centering yourself,” she said. “They could say, you may not have realized it, but what you said is hurtful.”

Walker says this may take some practice, but it is a skill that can be developed. “I think a lot of times in our society we want to be perfect and things just right for us, but a lot of times, it does take practice, and that’s okay. Just keep at it and lead with sympathy.”