Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Ethics in Product Images

Chapter two of your textbook discusses several legal issues associated with technical communication. One interesting topic is "implied warranty." Often, images associated with products imply certain parameters of safe usage (as in the book's example, that a certain product is safe for a child to use). Find an image of a product online and comment upon the implications of that officially produced image. Post a link to the image and your comments below. Do you find any problems with the "implied warranty" of the product you have chosen? Is the image ethical, based on your understanding of "implied warranty"?

17 comments:

  1. This is called a YikeBike, an electric motor driven bicycle. The image depicts an older gentleman, who is either stylish or blind, based off of the dark tinted glasses that he is wearing. He seems to be a business man headed to work. I would imagine that the picture does not intend to portray a blind man as a good candidate to ride this bike; however, even though you assume that he must not be blind the subtle implications are still there. I think that it is arguably unethical to show that this is something that older people can ride to work. To me, it seems that even a young sports enthusiast would take a few spills on the YikeBike before fully getting the hang of riding it, under low stress conditions. So, an older gentleman riding the bike to work seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

    http://www.gadgets-reviews.com/electric-yike-bike.html

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  2. This picture seems to imply that only in-shape people need your product: it is pretty tiny, I don't know why you wouldn't just use pockets or a purse unless you were a runner. It also brings memories of fannie-packs.

    http://www.gadgets-reviewscom/jspibelt.html

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  3. This is a picture of a Stihl chainsaw and I see no problems the warranty that the picture implies. They're admitting that a chainsaw is a very dangerous product and have given the user pictured multiple pieces of safety equipment. The picture implies that the chainsaw is made to work and last outside which is true in my experience. In my opinion the image is ethical.

    http://www.stihlusa.com/graphics/product-main-image.jpg

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  4. http://www.rei.com/category/4500003

    The banner on this page is a picture of a man and two kids bicycling. I like that the kids are supervised, and everyone in the group is wearing helmets. It shows that the company (REI) is aware of safety concerns associated with children riding bicycles. This is a good image for the company to foster since it is an outdoor equipment retailer.

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  5. http://www.hasbro.com/nerf/en-us/

    Hasbro has a lot of teenagers and professional stunt actors demonstrating there Nerf guns. However, this imply s that it is safe to use by a audience older than what it is intended for. Through I would not call this unethical it may end up losing them sales.

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  6. I found a cool retro ad for Prozac that makes Prozac look like that fantastic cure-all drug. It literally states that Prozac is "New and Improved Life"! With a statement like that the implications are endless! This ad leads the intended audience in the wrong direction in more ways than one

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  7. Sorry i forgot the link to the ad. Here it is:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/castlekay/976605842/

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  8. http://www.nintendo.com/images/wii/what/secondary-1.jpg

    As some may know, when Nintendo first released their extremely popular game platform, the Wii, back in 2006, there was a big problem with the accompanying "wii-motes": people were not using the wrist straps on the remotes while playing games and were throwing the remotes at their TVs. (Here's another link to a picture: http://www.geekologie.com/2006/12/07/wii_in_tv__2.jpg) Nintendo has since rectified the situation (or at least put safeguards in place that prevent idiots from injuring themselves or their electronics and then suing the company) by showing warnings on the screen before gameplay. They have also been careful to only show people wearing the straps when they play, such as in this picture from Nintendo's website. While this isn't exactly an ethical issue, its legal implications have obviously been brought up.

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  9. http://www.coolibar.com/index.html?s_kwcid=sun%20screen%20clothing|2278022234

    Coolibar is a company that sells clothing which provides U.V. protection. In the image, a family is shown relaxing by the pool in their sun-protection clothing. This image and the accompanying text appear to be implying that this family is sufficiently protected from UV rays so that they can enjoy themselves freely in the sun. However, there appear to be problems with this “implied warranty”, since the individuals in the picture have arms and legs that are uncovered and the hats that all three individuals are wearing do not prevent the sun from hitting their faces. Thus, unless the three people are wearing sunscreen, which is not one of the products being sold in their “UPF 50+ Family Swim Central” section (where the picture can be found), the implication that they are protected from harmful UV rays seems to be misleading and unethical. The website does provide information about all the aspects of healthy sun protection, but finding out any information is difficult and requires clicking on multiple links, many of which are simply leading the reader to advertisements for other products.

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  10. http://www.cowboysridingstables.com/images/p11.JPG

    This is one of the pictures that advertise Cowboy Riding Stables in Ruidoso Downs. It shows a young child on big horse. This picture implies the horses that this business uses for trail rides are extremely gentle and a novice can ride them. This assures inexperienced equestrians that the huge beasts they are about to climb upon are not going to buck, run off, spook, spin, rear, shy, bite, or kick. I think it a good idea to show green riders that they can relax and have no fear while on the back of a horse. I am quite certain that the horse with the youngster on him is indeed quite calm and a person who is new to horses could probably ride the horse with no problems. The little boy looked really happy and comfortable on the horse. In my opinion, it is ethical utilizing this picture to reassure potential customers that they could have fun enjoying the scenery astride a horse.

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  11. Not an image but unethical marketing nonetheless.

    http://www.merck.com/newsroom/vioxx/

    The pharmaceutical company MERCK created an arthritis medication that inadvertently increased the chance of patients having heart attacks and strokes. The company set out to discredit numerous doctors and researchers to better Vioxx sales. After a class action suit was filed against Merck, the drug was taken off the market in 2004 due to health concerns.

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  12. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B000FI73MA/ref=dp_otherviews_sz_?ie=UTF8&s=fiona-hardware&img=1

    One of the images in this set depicts Amazon's Kindle, their electronic reading device, proped against a thermos of coffee at a breakfast table. This seems to promise that the product can pass unscathed the myriad hazards of the breakfast table, an implicit claim that is almost certainly false. The powdered sugar on the adjacent waffle could smudge the screen; the coffee could spill and short out the whole Kindle. Additionally, the breakfast table is the venue of greatest morning grogginess, which could lead to easily fumbling and dropping the kindle on the floor beneath the table, where PERHAPS there lurks be a hungry dog waiting to chomp on any Kindle-sized scraps of bacon that fall from its master's plate. The risks inherent in Amazon's carefree depiction of breakfast reading using a device that costs $300.00 is completely unconscionable.

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  13. *Note: on closer inspection, it seems not to be a waffle at all, but something MUCH WORSE.

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  14. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sW65ilskOC8/Re2SuG8ACsI/AAAAAAAAAyY/4rNp6W3tyo/s320/KentCigaretteAd.jpg
    This ad is about Kent cigarette. We can read on it: "More scientists and educators smoke Kent..." and shows the picture of a basketball player in the background;assuming the statement is true, these seem to be implying that since there are more scientists, educators and athletes smoking Kent, then it is a safe cigarette for everybody which isn't true and unethical, because the fact remains that smoking cigarette is dangerous and unhealthy even if the pope were smoking cigarettes this doesn't make it safe for every one else to do so.

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  15. The advertisement is for Mythic Paint. There is a woman with a paint roller standing in front of a half painted wall. There are no warnings about the potential risks of fume inhalation. By showing this woman painting without a mask or an open window, Mythic Paint is insinuating that their paint does not contain harmful fumes.
    http://www.mythicpaint.com/siteAdmin/Upload/Advertisement/doc/7c65b6ea-09ef-4386-80e0-6134050eae84_ad14_big.pdf

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  16. I am a green energy enthusiast but this advertisement gives the impression in the fine print that this is the best option for an alternative energy source. The first sentence says, "...for potential growth based on customers' needs." This ad is from a company trying to promote itself.

    http://www.huawei.com/mm/ad_realize_your_potential_0211175837740009.jpg

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  17. Innaccuracies are very common place in 5 gum spots. They tout their gum as being a unique sensory experience, with extraordinary experiences associated with chewing the gum. The gum is similar to other chewing gums, and certainly does not provide the adrenaline-filled excitement shown.

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