Sports betting consensus plays: does following these actually work

I’ve noticed a lot of people hyping consensus plays lately - just following the side that gets the most public backing. The idea sounds simple, but I’m not sure how reliable it really is long term. Sometimes I see the consensus percentage spike and think maybe the public is actually right, but then there are stretches where it feels like the “obvious” sides lose more often than not.

I’ve mostly used consensus data as one of a bunch of things to factor in, not as my main pick. Curious how everyone else treats consensus info. Looking for real-world results and any red flags I might be missing.