The plan was to dig up a good example of "fanboyism", but knowing the internet, a commenter in the "Microsoft Games Division (XBOX) and Your Wallet" editorial has already left us with some low-hanging fruit:
LMFAO
No I think the service is just fine and this guy is to yound to know any better. Dude just ask you mommy or get a job.At first it's difficult to notice the poster's argument, but after wading through the grammar (who knows, maybe that was the idea) we can see that this poster believes that the opposing argument of Microsoft's Xbox Live service being too expensive can be offset by a job or a mother. Okay, fair enough. But notice how the poster doesn't make any point to back up the value of the service. No true argument of the object or company in question ever takes place. It is far easier to tell yourself "yeah, things are alright" without ever actually thinking about it. Are you being ripped off? Duped into thinking what you're paying for is worth it? God I hope not! And in the context of the case above, there is no right answer. Yes, paying $50 for that service could be worth it to you. The problem occurs when you come to that conclusion instantly for the sake of your emotional well-being that is detrimental to yourself- more specifically your wallet. The argument here is that he who obeys the quite psychologically-intelligent marketing departments of large companies is the one who is truly "owned".
OWN you later
Fanboys in the technology space are an annoyance, and they can even shift market trends (often for the worse), but in other areas of society. And while this isn't the focus of this blog, this needs to be discussed. Not necessarily referred to as fanboys, but posses almost identical behavior, it is those who unwittingly align themselves to a political party due to one or two beliefs, instead of the whole, who are the most guilty. Even worse are those who support (or damn) a candidate without actually looking at their voting record. The danger here of course is people making votes completely uninformed. Just like the tech fanboy makes his vote with his dollar without doing any research, the political fanboy spends very little time evaluating options (scarily enough, studies have shown that many people vote on looks), and then elects a person into office that goes against the majority of their beliefs.
What should be taken away from this is the following: we all get buyer's remorse sometimes, but instead of blindly supporting the product/company and fooling yourself into thinking you made the right choice only because you've already committed, try the following:
1. Take the product back.
2. Complain to the company. Let them know. You'd be surprised what a firmware update can fix. If it's policy, that may be a little tougher.
3. Give it away. You won't have to look at it anymore, and your buddy might actually enjoy it.
4. Get over it, and try and enjoy the product the best you can. What NOT to do is trick yourself into thinking that said "bad" thing is actually "good". Your subconscious will only become more disappointed as you invest more into said thing.
5. Or, maybe you actually do like it! And if so, good for you for making the right choice. However, should you happen to wander onto any random form of communication, whether it be the water cooler at work or an internet forum, do not back said thing without any true argument- unless you have a hunch that maybe their mom can pay for it.
