5 ms·

There goes that nasty evil capitalism, "It wasn't my lack of will power and cognitive short falls that caused me to buy these things ... it was capitalism's fau

There goes that nasty evil capitalism, "It wasn't my lack of will power and cognitive short falls that caused me to buy these things ... it was capitalism's fault. I'm completely innocent and would never make bad decisions of my own accord ..."

i_am_nomad 7y ago
That is somewhat unfair. Most of the time, it’s a naive consumer on one side, and an army of UI experts and behavioral scientists on the other. That consumer is hopelessly outmatched, and the company will absolutely find a way to hack his or her psychology.
- mrhappyunhappy 7y ago
  Yep. I read behavioral studies by scientists so I can use this info to manipulate others. This is my job and I am good at it or I wouldn’t be doing it. There are hundreds of behavioral tricks to make people buy. Even when one is aware of them. It’s funny when people say sales don’t work on them. Those are EXACTLY the people sales work best on.
- RandomInteger4 7y ago
  Citing human psychology is a sad excuse to excuse one's self from personal responsibility. You are the final arbiter of all decisions that you make. Nobody else. You are the one that is ultimately responsible. If this were loot boxes, then maybe we'd be having a different discussion, but unless they're tricking you into something other than what is advertised, then the onus ultimately falls upon you to control your desire to purchase something.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - yifanl 7y ago
    Um, what makes one form of dishonesty acceptable and loot box dishonesty unacceptable? Personally I lean on the "I am the final arbiter of my purchasing decisions" side, but surely this principle would have to be applied consistently (and what this looks like is I have bought almost nothing online ever)
    - RandomInteger4 7y ago
      Lootboxes aren't a form of dishonesty. It's a form of gambling. Gambling needs to be regulated, because that specifically does abuse psychology, whereas when you're buying a product, you know exactly what you're getting. There's no deception there, unless there is, in which case we have laws against it, because it's called false advertisement. We have laws against gambling, because we know how math works and the human mind doesn't by default.
jancsika 7y ago
There goes that nasty evil legacy language, "It wasn't my lack of programming skills and cognitive short falls that caused an exploit in internet-critical software ... it was C's lack of memory safety. I'm completely innocent and would never make bad decisions of my own accord ..." And ask yourself-- who benefits the most from the borrow checker? Because it's sure not John Q. Programmer ...
Toine 7y ago
Humans are humans. Living creatures driven by emotions and irrational behavior. Each person has his/her own psychological weaknesses. You included. Hardcore capitalists included. These kinds of marketing techniques take advantage of those weaknesses to increase their revenue. I would argue that similar weaknesses drive sick people to do horrible stuff to increase their wealth and power. Blaming consumers for their lack of self control is pure hypocrisy. Where do you think sellers got their desire to get so much money ? From their own lack of self control. A rational mind does not need or desire millions of dollars. It needs what it requires to live a happy life : food, health, social interactions (quality & quantity). Anything else is pure irrational, pulsion driven excessive desires.
- drukenemo 7y ago
  Btw, I also rationally require opportunities to learn, live in a nice neighborhood, travel sometimes, buy a good musical instrument, maintain a car etc. You are oversimplifying things, but I get your point.

i_am_nomad 7y ago

That is somewhat unfair. Most of the time, it’s a naive consumer on one side, and an army of UI experts and behavioral scientists on the other. That consumer is hopelessly outmatched, and the company will absolutely find a way to hack his or her psychology.

mrhappyunhappy 7y ago
Yep. I read behavioral studies by scientists so I can use this info to manipulate others. This is my job and I am good at it or I wouldn’t be doing it. There are hundreds of behavioral tricks to make people buy. Even when one is aware of them. It’s funny when people say sales don’t work on them. Those are EXACTLY the people sales work best on.
RandomInteger4 7y ago
Citing human psychology is a sad excuse to excuse one's self from personal responsibility. You are the final arbiter of all decisions that you make. Nobody else. You are the one that is ultimately responsible. If this were loot boxes, then maybe we'd be having a different discussion, but unless they're tricking you into something other than what is advertised, then the onus ultimately falls upon you to control your desire to purchase something.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- yifanl 7y ago
  Um, what makes one form of dishonesty acceptable and loot box dishonesty unacceptable? Personally I lean on the "I am the final arbiter of my purchasing decisions" side, but surely this principle would have to be applied consistently (and what this looks like is I have bought almost nothing online ever)
  - RandomInteger4 7y ago
    Lootboxes aren't a form of dishonesty. It's a form of gambling. Gambling needs to be regulated, because that specifically does abuse psychology, whereas when you're buying a product, you know exactly what you're getting. There's no deception there, unless there is, in which case we have laws against it, because it's called false advertisement. We have laws against gambling, because we know how math works and the human mind doesn't by default.

jancsika 7y ago

There goes that nasty evil legacy language, "It wasn't my lack of programming skills and cognitive short falls that caused an exploit in internet-critical software ... it was C's lack of memory safety. I'm completely innocent and would never make bad decisions of my own accord ..." And ask yourself-- who benefits the most from the borrow checker? Because it's sure not John Q. Programmer ...

Toine 7y ago

Humans are humans. Living creatures driven by emotions and irrational behavior. Each person has his/her own psychological weaknesses. You included. Hardcore capitalists included. These kinds of marketing techniques take advantage of those weaknesses to increase their revenue. I would argue that similar weaknesses drive sick people to do horrible stuff to increase their wealth and power. Blaming consumers for their lack of self control is pure hypocrisy. Where do you think sellers got their desire to get so much money ? From their own lack of self control. A rational mind does not need or desire millions of dollars. It needs what it requires to live a happy life : food, health, social interactions (quality & quantity). Anything else is pure irrational, pulsion driven excessive desires.

drukenemo 7y ago
Btw, I also rationally require opportunities to learn, live in a nice neighborhood, travel sometimes, buy a good musical instrument, maintain a car etc. You are oversimplifying things, but I get your point.