Media Watch – NY Times Decries Schlock E-Commerce

 

May 2, 2024

The New York Times’ product recommendation service Wirecutter recently decried the preponderance of “schlock” (Yiddish for “junk”) on the internet. Annemarie Conte, deputy editor at Wirecutter, writes that e-commerce has become “choked with junk” products and countless people hawking trinkets.

“Online shopping can expose people to a greasy influencer economy,” writes Conte. “When an influencer’s follower clicks a link and buys something, the influencer makes money. That’s why people on your social media feed are crowing about their 10 favorite Amazon finds or talking about how an expensive gizmo has changed their life.”

Shannon Curley, director of Marketing at Carbon6 Technologies laments that part of the problem is a lack of sincerity among some in the so-called influencer community. “Influencers used to have to ‘make sense’ for the product they were selling, such as Hollywood stars for makeup lines or world-class athletes for Gatorade,” Curley says. “That’s not the case anymore. New-age influencers ignore product-market fit and will sell anything that keeps them relevant. There’s lots in it for the seller, but not so much for the buyer.”

Matt Remuzzi, owner of CapForge Bookkeeping, Tax & More agrees that the schlock factor has inevitably gone up with the advent of widespread e-commerce. However, he quips that there’s really nothing new under the sun when it comes to less-than-useful products.

“Snake oil salesmen have been around forever,” Remuzzi says. “The internet has just let them cast a lot wider net with a lot more products. Unfortunately, it’s still just a lot of snake oil and not the panacea you were hoping for when you handed over your hard earned money.”