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Android: Argumentum ad populum
Argumentum ad populum is a fancy Latin term for a logical fallacy. It refers to an appeal to popular opinion to win an argument.
The idea behind it is if most people think something is true, then it must be true.
It turns up often with technology: Eight in ten buyers choose Android. The implication is this means Android must be better than iOS or Windows Phone.
The obvious flaw with
argumentum ad populum is that many people agreeing
on something doesn’t make it true. Until the renaissance
most people thought the Sun revolved around the Earth. The
idea was popular, not true.
Eight out of ten cats prefer Whiskas
If eight out of ten phone buyers choose Android, it doesn’t necessarily make it the best choice. It does make it the most popular one.
Likewise if everyone in the airport business lounge is working on an Apple MacBook, that doesn’t automatically make it the best laptop choice. It makes it the most popular choice in that business lounge.
Advertising ofter feeds off Argumentum ad populum. Older readers might remember Eight out of ten cats prefer Whiskas.
Argumentum ad populum is all about the wisdom of crowds. The idea that many people are more likely to be right than any given individual.
They may be. The key word here is may.
There’s also
implied peer pressure. People like to conform. They like to
feel they are on the winning
side.
Complicated
Things get complicated because in the tech sector popularity has advantages.
A popular phone OS will have a vibrant and useful app store. Popularity makes for a large and useful peer support network.
You’d hear the whinges quick enough if something isn’t right with a popular product. Think of what happened to Microsoft with the unloved Windows 8.
Popularity should mean greater product sales and an opportunity for economies of scale. In turn that could mean lower prices. There’s a virtuous circle effect here as lower prices lead to greater popularity.
Buying a popular phone, or any other tech product, has advantages. Just don’t confuse popularity with quality.
Bill Bennett
Freelance journalist.
Auckland-based Bill Bennett writes technology and business stories that are directly relevant to New Zealand readers.
His emphasis is on telecommunications, but he also covers other aspects of technology and business. You can find his features in the New Zealand Herald and hear him regularly on RNZ Nine to Noon and the NZ Tech Podcast.
Bennett's The Download Weekly newsletter is published every Friday. You can sign up for it here.
If you want to support his work, you can make a donation to his PressPatron account.
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