Edit: I guess this post is free advertising for these shitters, so I will describe what I previously linked.
There is this TV you can get for free but it has a ads on screen constantly and it has a camera pointed at you to record your reactions to ads and to ensure you don’t cover up the ad portion of the screen.
It’s “free” which means you’re paying for it a different way than money. If you don’t want the ads then don’t get the “free” TV.
Yeah. I’m completely behind the complaints people have with a lot of modern world problems in this regard.
But in this case, they’re very clear. They are making hardware available at no monetary cost. Therefore, you MUST know they’re monetizing you somehow, and this is the somehow.
Having said that, yes, the description does seem like the dystopian tellyscreens in nineteen-eighty-four. But they were mandatory for everyone, which is the main difference.
Actually looking through the site. I don’t really see how they’re going to make enough money on this.
I cannot see anywhere on their site that suggests the camera will be watching you (and there’s probably laws against that, even in the USA!) and the FAQ specifically says the camera has a cover and only an app using the camera will make that open, and you have to accept the permission.
Also, it seems they play the ads on a separate screen. Which suggests there won’t be sound either. So they don’t even expect you to be paying attention to the ads, because it seems they won’t block content for them.
I expect there might be an initial interest in advertisers. But if they don’t see a decent conversion rate, I cannot imagine they will keep paying enough to cover the TV for ads.
Also, what happens when one of these breaks, they replace it for free? I’d imagine they would need to because otherwise the hardware they paid for is no longer generating revenue.
This sounds like a late April fool. :P
This is actually closer to Brave New World than Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the former, citizens voluntarily buy huge TVs to adorn their living room walls because their whole society is built around pleasure-seeking and entertainment. These displays are then used by the powers that be to distract and pacify the population, prevent critical thinking and reduce political unrest.