this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2024
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nah I really think you got it wrong.
big companies spend obscene amounts of money and effort researching how to manipulate and influence people effectively so they can make the most profit they can get away with.
a catchy jingle is an obvious example. not really nefarious (i have strong nostalgia for local business jingles and slogans) tho.
dark patterns on websites are a better example. like how it's really easy to sign up for amazon prime, but canceling amazon prime is impossible to do without having to use a search engine to find the obscure link to the cancellation page.
if you think people influence companies more than the other way wrong, I really gotta urge you to consider another angle.
Eh, I've done it 2-3 times, it's really not hard. In fact, I usually just get their free trial 2x/year, once before Christmas, and once at the start of summer.
I get the general point though, and I do try to avoid companies like Amazon that manipulate people (e.g. I refuse to let my kids play Fortnite).
I look at what I can do and what I can't do. I can avoid abusive companies, education others around me, etc. I can't change those companies' practices. I can vote for politicians I believe will hold companies accountable. I can't make those politicians vote the way I want. And so on. Avoiding bad companies is something I can do, whining about it doesn't get anything done.