Americans have a begrudging, if not antagonistic, relationship with our largest corporations — unless, apparently, they sell technology. Granted, companies like Google and Microsoft interact with their customers in a more direct way than other megacoporations (in the course of a day I interact with Google — and in a very direct way, its brand — dozens of times. I’m far less aware of my interactions with Procter & Gamble). And with famous executives and relatively small product lines, they present a recognizable identity to a typical customer. Perhaps that’s why we’re more accepting of clever but vaguely apocalyptic jokes from profit-motivated organizations with revenues higher than many small countries.
But that doesn’t mean we should be. These are massive, and massively powerful, corporations, which have leverage over us in a way that they didn’t as upstart underdogs. They are companies to be monitored and regulated with vigilance, and regarded with skepticism; they’re inherently incapable of laughing with us because they are no longer in any way like us.
Whimsical jokes by the extremely powerful can (and should!) take on a sinister overtone (see: Army.mil’s “cats as soldiers” gag).
It’s Time for Tech Giants to Stop with the April Fools’ Jokes – BuzzFeed