3 ms·

> It’s a damn NEW DARK AGE It's a business, and if you give them money that makes you a consumer. What's wrong with that?

brobdingnagians 8y ago
I think the issue is mainly that people are multi-dimensional and referring to them as `consumers` boxes them into "thing x that buys our stuff and exists for consumption" instead of framing is as "this is a person that we developed technology because it will improve their lives (and give us money)". Profit is important for a business and helps drive efficiency and measure effectiveness, but I think it is still good use language that doesn't dehumanize the fact that the world is made of people and meeting the needs of people is ultimately the important thing, not simply number in Excel that represent our cashflow. Even customer is a better word, since it represents a person who comes to you voluntarily for an exchange of value, not just consumption.
- agigao 8y ago
  Thank you! :)
- tomnipotent 8y ago
  Consumer is appropriate here and the word makes a difference. I'm a customer of 23andMe, but I'm not a consumer (purchased for others, have not used myself). We live in a world where words mean something specific, generally to communicate an idea, not warm fuzzy feelings, and it's important that we use the right words so not to fall into the trap of multi-national businesses pretending their employees are "family" because it sounds nice.
lostmyoldone 8y ago
It is quite easy to use "consumer" to create a seemingly plausible argument, which is interpreted quite different by many if you replace consumer with any one of the other words suggested. It is probably because very few has consumer as a part of their self perception, hence many are likely to identify less, and empathize less with a group or person described as such. It's not wrong in a technical sense, but it can be used to avoid a stronger public reaction to e.g people getting hurt by a business practices. One might frame it like this: If my business transaction as a consumer ends up with the loss of an arm, I'm still the one who has to live with only one arm.
kzrdude 8y ago
They are salespeople, and they should present us the fairy tale, not the technical lingo, for maximal effect.
quantum_magpie 8y ago
That makes you a customer!
est31 8y ago
You're not the consumer. You're the product. The goal of these companies is to own a giant database of genetic information about the population to then sell that information to others. If you were the consumer, you'd have to pay far more for a "test": these tests are just a method to get people to enter themselves in the database, and for them to sign their rights away, to 23andMe.
- gesman 8y ago
  +1 ... and to monetize your genetic information infinitely without compensating you

brobdingnagians 8y ago

I think the issue is mainly that people are multi-dimensional and referring to them as `consumers` boxes them into "thing x that buys our stuff and exists for consumption" instead of framing is as "this is a person that we developed technology because it will improve their lives (and give us money)". Profit is important for a business and helps drive efficiency and measure effectiveness, but I think it is still good use language that doesn't dehumanize the fact that the world is made of people and meeting the needs of people is ultimately the important thing, not simply number in Excel that represent our cashflow. Even customer is a better word, since it represents a person who comes to you voluntarily for an exchange of value, not just consumption.

agigao 8y ago
Thank you! :)
tomnipotent 8y ago
Consumer is appropriate here and the word makes a difference. I'm a customer of 23andMe, but I'm not a consumer (purchased for others, have not used myself). We live in a world where words mean something specific, generally to communicate an idea, not warm fuzzy feelings, and it's important that we use the right words so not to fall into the trap of multi-national businesses pretending their employees are "family" because it sounds nice.

lostmyoldone 8y ago

It is quite easy to use "consumer" to create a seemingly plausible argument, which is interpreted quite different by many if you replace consumer with any one of the other words suggested. It is probably because very few has consumer as a part of their self perception, hence many are likely to identify less, and empathize less with a group or person described as such. It's not wrong in a technical sense, but it can be used to avoid a stronger public reaction to e.g people getting hurt by a business practices. One might frame it like this: If my business transaction as a consumer ends up with the loss of an arm, I'm still the one who has to live with only one arm.

kzrdude 8y ago

They are salespeople, and they should present us the fairy tale, not the technical lingo, for maximal effect.

quantum_magpie 8y ago

That makes you a customer!

est31 8y ago

You're not the consumer. You're the product. The goal of these companies is to own a giant database of genetic information about the population to then sell that information to others. If you were the consumer, you'd have to pay far more for a "test": these tests are just a method to get people to enter themselves in the database, and for them to sign their rights away, to 23andMe.

gesman 8y ago
+1 ... and to monetize your genetic information infinitely without compensating you