Post 9:
We are now in an age where we are spoilt for choice. They are various models of computers for all needs, i.e., gaming, multimedia, browsing, office etc so where can we turn? For many it’s a chat to a friend who knows his/her stuff when it comes to a particular type of product, for others it’s an interesting read of reviews. Mostly “independent magazines” give the latest gadgets a complete guide to what features a product has. For example, some magazines will often display this on their cover work.
Perhaps I am a little sceptical about true independence, so I thought I’d share a friends experience when buying a camera recently:
After reading reviews from a magazine, she settled on a particular manufacturer and two models of cameras. She read a fantastic ‘independent’ review about a camera and was hyped up about its features, after seeing the camera her opinion quickly changed. In the review it didn’t say the camera had a flash light at the corner of the camera, it made handling of the camera very difficult. Afterwards she read the reviews again to see that the pictures and text didn’t mention the location of the flash light. After she told me about her experience I thought:
How true is independent?
Can a large manufacturer persuade a magazine (or other source) to accept their review about their product? For example, all positive, neat and fantastic features were written and explained easily. Any pictures (which coincide) with the article are at a certain angle so readers (potential e-commercial buyers) can see how ‘good’ the camera actually is. Does a magazine not accept any money for advertisements/promotions?
It leaves me thinking; surely money is bound to come into the equation to show a certain light on a product from the manufacturer.
Post 9, over and out. Thanks for reading!
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