It’s since backpedaled.
    • Fades@lemmy.world
      32·
      1 month ago

      They don’t care, the massive majority of normies will never hear about it and those that do won’t care

        • theshatterstone54@feddit.uk
          6·
          1 month ago

          Can I just say, I’m incredibly pissed off at Xiaomi (and at the redmi sub brand by extension) at how difficult unlocking the bootloader is on newer devices. Like, you have to make an account with them, log in, and then wait 7 days, to unlock the bootloader, like WHAT? Why? I kinda understand the account, cuz spyware, but why the 7 day wait? So you’re forced to use their crappy bloated and spyware-and-ad-ridden system? It’s just really frustrating. Left a bad taste in my mouth to the point where I’m considering a switch to another brand for my next phone.

          • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
            2·
            1 month ago

            The Redmi brand is aimed at a mainstream audience, and there are probably enough people who will try to unlock bootloader without thinking through that Xiaomi wants to put some deterrance. Although I feel the Poco brand should allow easier unlockong, since it is aimed more at power users.

  • forgotmylastusername@lemmy.ml
    60·
    1 month ago

    Influencer is a fancy word for salesman. Instead of going door to door like grandpa did in the old days, they stream directly to your device.

    • ScruffyDucky@lemmy.world
      8·
      1 month ago

      influencers used to be called attention removed but you can’t really use that term if you want to shill products

      • SidewaysHighways@lemmy.world
        3·
        1 month ago

        Yeah that’s kinda my whole disconnect from this stuff from the get go. These guys were begging for attention! Huge turn off

  • hate2bme@lemmy.world
    301·
    1 month ago

    So these influencers are against this type of practice? That means they all really do play Raid:Shadow legends.

    • mle@feddit.org
      8·
      1 month ago

      There’s a big difference between being sponsored by the very product you are reviewing in this specific video, and being sponsored by something unrelated while being openly and obviously presented as sponsored content.

  • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
    2·
    1 month ago

    We don’t call it fake news for no reason… These media removed ways been shilling whoever pays them and mega corps pays.

  • Moonrise2473@feddit.it
    57·
    1 month ago

    I don’t see what’s the problem. It’s a proposal of a sponsorship with payment in nature (the expensive phones) instead of money. If the influencer disagrees, there’s no problem and they can buy the phones by themselves, Google is not forced by law to send free phones to influencers.

    I don’t think that all those influencers are actually playing raid shadow legends or eating factor or using betterhelp.

    Google is giving free review samples to real reviewers

    • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
      6·
      1 month ago

      The first problem is that Google is giving an incentive to influencers - who are supposed to be (more or less) impartia - to review their phone favourably compared to alternatives.

      The second problem is that, despite being one of the biggest companies in the world, they did this in the most obvious way possible. Now who will trust any positive review of their phone? Anyone with common sense, let alone the lawyers whom I suppose cleared this - should have told them not to do something so dumb.

      Edit: corrected reviewers to influencers, for the reasons explained below.

      • Moonrise2473@feddit.it
        3·
        1 month ago

        There are YouTube channels/instagrammers that exclusively review sponsored products. Bigger ones like Unbox therapy, LTT shortcircuit, and so on. Never a bad word about the shitty product they’re reviewing, because it’s a paid ad.

        Take a look by yourself. The product they’re “reviewing” is clearly non functioning e-waste, yet they don’t say it to make the advertiser happy.

        This is a program dedicated to influencers, not reviewers. The verge, Engadget, marques, Mr mobile, they didn’t sign this contract. If Google believes that the outlet is legit, they give the review device for free without the sponsorship contract.

        Edit for clarity as I didn’t add a paragraph between this sentence:

        When the influencer that got the free phone under this ad campaign shows the phone on camera they need to flag the post with #giftfromgoogle and #teampixel - you can use that as a hint that the review is biased

        • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
          1·
          1 month ago

          This is a program dedicated to influencers, not reviewers.

          Corrected. Thanks!

          There are YouTube channels/instagrammers that exclusively review sponsored products.

          I don’t use instagram, and stick to the more reliable youtube channels. Didn’t know this was a thing.

          If Google believes that the outlet is legit, they give the review device for free without the sponsorship contract. When they talk good about the device they need to flag the post with #giftfromgoogle and #teampixel

          This feels like one of those stories where one person misleads another without technically lying.

          • Moonrise2473@feddit.it
            2·
            1 month ago

            I read your quote of my post and realized to have wrote in a way that’s not clear. If someone gets sponsored to become a Pixel fanboy, needs to use those two hashtags

    • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
      3·
      1 month ago

      Advertisements should be explicit. You’ll often see sponsored segments of videos when a YouTuber is talking about a product, where they explicitly say it’s sponsored. These influences are being asked to treat the product preferential to other devices without being a sponsor.

      Advertising is one thing. Asking people to advertise your product without revealing that it’s an ad is something else.