In the article, Truth Lies Bullshit, Frankfurt talks about how bullshit is not
defined by the end product but the process by which it is created. A
bullshitter doesn’t care if what they say is correct or incorrect. Their only
concern is that their statement is heard and spread around. Due to the
advances of communication technology, bullshit is so prevalent in our society today. Whether it’s from television, social media, or streaming services, us as consumers are constantly creating a demand for information. However there isn’t enough truth to go around, and as a result, we get bullshit instead. As I was reading through the article I was
reminded of something I learned in my computer science class last semester
called featuritis.
Featuritis is when a product falls victim to “feature-creep” which originates
from three inevitable factors. First, existing customers are happy, but want
more features, functions, and capabilities. Second is competitive pressure
which leads to the need to implement new innovative features. And lastly is
the saturation of the market. Everyone who wants the product most likely
already has a previous version or an alternative product from a competitor.
For instance, Apple, Amazon, and Google all have their own version of the
digital assistant. The only way to create a demand for their own product is
add more features
For example, companies like Apple and Samsung consistently release a new
model of a phone each year. The new model will have new features, stronger
build, or a faster operating system. But in recent years, these “new models”
will only have a slight improvement compared to their predecessors. The only
differences between the new iPhone 11 and the iPhone X is a faster
processor, resolution of the display, and a camera with improved pixel quality. To some these might seem like significant improvements, but it pales in comparison to some of the other features Apple has released in the past like Siri, Facial Recognition, and iCloud.
These companies are essentially feeding us bullshit, but are they solely to
blame? If the demand for a new product didn’t exist every year, companies
would have more time to develop and implement new features that are truly
innovative. Companies like Apple and Samsung are not exactly innocent, as
they continue to feed us bullshit every year. However there is some blame
on the consumers as their seem to be troubling signs that we have come to
prefer bullshit.
This is a really interesting application of our discussion on bullshit! While a lot features might be essentially useless, do you think it should be considered misinformation/bullshit, or is it just a product of how capitalism works? If it's just a product of capitalism, what distinguishes this from forms of bullshit that are also created to make money? And is it bullshit if there is a demand for it? You bring up a lot of interesting questions, but I think it would be helpful if you had more explanation and analysis of exactly how you think featuritis applies to Frankfurt's definition of bullshit.
ReplyDeleteThis is a cool observation. I recognized this trend before (especially with Apple products), but I never knew that there was a term for it. I really like that you introduced the notion that us, the consumers, might be to blame for products that are not very innovative. Also, you could work on your hook a little bit. Maybe start out by introducing featuritis and then linking it to the article.
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