this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2023
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Corporations absolutely control the power what are you even talking about? The only time they listen to us is when it benefits them directly. Look at Reddit and Twitter right now, you would think the large user backlash would improve things but it doesn't. We don't live in a market controlled by you and I, the market it controlled by VC funding and what looks good on an earnings sheet.
People hated the headphone jack getting removed but that didn't change anything. I very much did try to keep buying phones with headphone jacks and expandable storage but companies stopped offering them. Sure there are options available but they all have bigger issues for my use case than lacking I/O.
The EU is requiring user replaceable batteries in phones by 2027, lets take a guess as to who apposes it... is it A) the consumers or B) the phone companies? I'll give you a minute.
And oh boy would you look at that, it's the manufacturers who are fighting against it. So if the manufacturers are fighting regulators over this, do you think the free will of the market could achieve it more efficiently?
I understand and partially agree with you. The big players have more power and can pull the strings in so many markets, but their power isn't absolute.
I think it's all part of modern structure of power, to make us think we are powerless and that changes are impossible. It becomes a self proclaimed prophecy, because we stop taking actions because it won't change anything anyway, so everyone does the same, and nothing happens.
We lack organization. Entire revolutions happened in the past. Kings went down and exploited places became independent.
It's not impossible for us to fight back against corporate power, but we need the coordination we lack now. Social network algorithms contribute a lot to keep us fighting over everything, with everyone, preventing our organization.
Perhaps... the fediverse is a first step into some changes. Perhaps, we don't have enough time anymore, perhaps I'm just a naive and foolish dreamer. The future can't be accurately predicted, but onethings is sure: if we don't try to improve things for us, it's much more likely that everyone will get much worse.