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I'm sure this will be unpopular but a large majority of these recent negative practices are a result of consumer behavior. Things like microtransactions, dealer
by AddLightness 1y ago
I'm sure this will be unpopular but a large majority of these recent negative practices are a result of consumer behavior. Things like microtransactions, dealer markups on cars, clickbait, are all so prominent because they _work_. We have the power to reject them, yet people don't. The algorithm driven feeds with engagement bait and rage bait work.
And many other situations are damned if you do damned if you don't. Journalism websites have paywalls and people complain. They have ads and people complain. One way or another these people have to get paid. It's the same with shrinkflation. If costs increase, then either the product gets smaller, or the price gets higher. Either way, people complain.
- dehrmann 1y ago> dealer markups on cars Cars are special. They have some of the same issues other high-priced items that you buy occasionally and are a pain to shop for. Think mattresses, tires, and homes. There's information asymmetry, and actual comparison shopping is hassle. This is a setup for painful buying experiences. With cars, lots of states also restrict manufacturers from selling directly to consumers. I guess it helps with competition at the consumer level, but manufacturers still have leverage over dealers (see This American Life #513). With real estate, NAR only just (in 2024) got in trouble for price fixing commissions.
- elphinstone 1y agoHeroin works, do you praise the dealers as "disruptors" and blame the victims? Not a far-fetched example, the opiod epidemic was basically that. Individuals have few resources to protect themselves from massive corporations armed with sophisticated technology, predatory tactics, and a compliant and captured state. This kind of victim blaming is sociopathic.