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Do others feel somewhat conflicted talking positively about commercial goods/services? (lemm.ee)

submitted 6 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Sometimes I feel like if I do so I'm basically serving as an ad, and I don't really care for that, especially if later I find that the business was scummy in some ways (which is often the case, especially later as it changes leadership/ownership).

If you do, how do you deal with it?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

I think some brands have earned a good reputation, and I don't think you should feel bad for promoting them when asked if you genuinely believe they are aligned with a cause you support (fair wages, good customer service, high quality product, locally sourced, open and transparent operations could be a few examples). That reputation is theirs to squander from shitty management decisions in the future, that's not on you to control.

I have felt the feeling you express in threads like this one. In that case I made sure to wait 12 hours before putting my answer, that way my brand namedrop wouldn't be voted to the top as if it was a "Promoted" comment. Someone who is looking for that will find honest recommendations from me but I'm not trying to act like I'm being sponsored.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Your last sentence gets at part of what I was thinking in writing this question. I see where others are coming from when talking among friends or not awkwardly dropping in products/titles, but it's that limbo space when either talking among acquaintances or online with strangers where it gets murkier to me.

I think some of this also comes from the posting culture you see if you browse microblogging platforms, even apart from influencer-types, which I think comes from the constraints of a lower character count to some degree.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Full agree. You're not paid to influence but I also say you're not paid to fret over it either whether it's with strangers or acquaintances.

My advice for you overall is don't sweat it if you casually mention a brand name, but if you're unsure whether to put one in a comment think about it this way. Recommend a brand name if you think it would be helpful for the person you're talking to, as in that case there's no sense at hinting at a brand name or giving a riddle to someone who's looking for a product they can trust will serve them well. If it's just part of some anecdote where the brand isn't relevant or helpful, then talk about it generically.