It's not really rewarding the company if they are subsidizing the price of the TV by selling people's information through the "smart" part of the TV, when you don't participate in the "smart" part of it. You got a cheaper TV, didn't hand over any of your info, so the company loses money on the "smart" TV.
The manufacturer is not losing money on the device. Google/Amazon are paying them to get their spyware crap on the device.
> You got a cheaper TV, didn't hand over any of your info...
But you are still enabling Surveillance Capitalism. Even if you think you personal data is safe, the system still exploits the majority of the consumer market.
Nobody is being rewarded when I don't connect the subsidised "smart" TV to the internet.
There are other kinds of very cheap TVs with forced ads and tracking that require an internet connection to function at all, but those are a whole other story entierly, and we aren't talking about those here.
That's a win-win-win in my book. I get a cheap device, manufacturer sells a device, evil data collection companies don't get my data. The rest of you can connect your tv to the internet and have creeps do stuff with your data, I really don't care what you do. And really, why should anyone be worried that some company knows you watch family feud instead of the price is right.
What if you were told that I've worked for those ad companies, I know all the tricks they use, and I know extremely well how they target me - and I'm still not worried about buying a "smart" TV and using it while not connecting it to the internet.
I quit on moral grounds, so you really don't have the moral high ground here, as much as you'd like to think you do. Once I realized what was going on there I found another job and left them immediately, my employment there lasted all of 3 months. So I know what they do, how they do it, but I don't condone it and never did. In many ways I'm better off for having been on the inside for a brief period of time, learning about what they do and how they do it, so I can avoid it.
I'll still continue to use my cheap unconnected "smart" TV knowing full-well why it was created, what it is capable of, and how I've bypassed all of that by simply not plugging it in to the internet.
The point that you are missing is that this is not just about what you can do, but how the system as a whole is rigged.
The fact that you know how the sausage is made and yet you are not actively working to dismantle it would be a strong sign of apathy, but when you come boasting about how you are for "getting a nice TV for cheap" just turns the whole thing into complete moral bankruptcy.
You are not sticking to the man. You are just a rounding error to them, when you could full well be part of an alternative that puts human decency above petty savings.
>The fact that you know how the sausage is made and yet you are not actively working to dismantle it would be a strong sign of apathy,
So you think it's my responsibility to take on Google and every other mega corporation? You're huffing your own farts.
What have you done to "dismantle" the ad companies? Nothing? Got it.
>but when you come boasting about how you are for "getting a nice TV for cheap" just turns the whole thing into complete moral bankruptcy.
Let those without sin cast the first stone. It seems you're throwing a lot of stones, but I doubt your own moral fortitude. You've not said one thing about anything that you have done to "dismantle" these companies you seem to fear so much. Put up or shut up.
>You are not sticking to the man. You are just a rounding error to them, when you could full well be part of an alternative that puts human decency above petty savings.
I don't really care what you think, you're so full of hate that you can't understand what's going on at all.
I got a cheap TV, subsidised by ad companies, and I didn't let them do what they wanted to do to recoup that cost. If you don't think that is at least a little bit of "sticking it to the man" then you're just deluded and cranky and an typical internet troll.
> my responsibility to take on Google and every other mega corporation?
There is a whole world of choices and options between "standing up to fight against mega corporations" and "paying a (small) premium for a product that is produced by a company with a stronger sense of ethics".
> What have you done to "dismantle" the ad companies?
A suite of services that offer messaging and social media network without any ads, tracking or data collection: https://communick.com.
> Put up or shut up.
Isn't that exactly what this thread is about? I am saying "hey, how about an alternative where people would pay just for the components and assemble themselves?" and for every person saying "that would be great, sign me up", there is some lizard brain saying "just don't connect it to the internet and let companies pay for your shiny gadgets while they exploit the other losers".
I don't see you making a cheap dumb TV, so I'll continue to buy "smart" TVs and not connect them to the internet, and I'll suggest to other people that they do the same if they buy a "smart" TV. If everyone bought a "smart" TV and not connect it to the internet, then there wouldn't be any more "smart" TVs made. That's how you change the world, not with "Lemmy" or "Funkwhale" or other stuff people don't want.
Fair enough. You are absolutely right. People do not "want" Lemmy or Funkwhale. They want to communicate, get in touch with friends, listen to some music, find someone to hook up with, share pictures of their kids with their family... do you agree?
But in light of all the things that you know about Facebook, Google, Reddit et al, do you think that it's enough to just tell people "If everyone just used an ad blocker, there would be no ad tech companies?"
>They want to communicate, get in touch with friends, listen to some music, find someone to hook up with, share pictures of their kids with their family.
People want to be on the popular platform(s). It's the same reason they like shitty fad music, and shitty fad food, and all kinds of ridiculous and harmful things - people are like sheep. Cheap, easy, and instant gratification. Good luck changing human nature.
>But in light of all the things that you know about Facebook, Google, Reddit
It doesn't matter what I know. Nobody is going to do anything just because I or you want them to. "You can lead a horse to water..."
But if trying is what floats your boat, then more power to you. You do you. I'll enjoy cheap subsidized TVs without giving my data away.
>You want to think you are so much better than those poor village idiots, so all you can do is take advantage of them.
I am not the one suggesting that others should spend their time to "take down" large corporations. You've been quite holier than though. It's quite funny that you can't even see that the cartoon you shared exactly describes your behavior here.
