Sony has decided to force its will on its users in the worst way possible. Deciding unilaterally to do away with physical media in video games, with a total lack of communication and, apparently, using bots to defend itself, it’s not winning over its users. And while there is a certain sector that is still divided, or that even understands or defends its reasons, a good part of its users do not agree.
This has led to various kinds of movements and actions. Among them is an organized boycott against Sony. But it’s worth asking, are boycotts actually effective? And the answer is more complex than it seems. That’s why we’re going to talk about the specific case that’s circulating on social media, not turning on our PlayStation 4 or 5 during the last week of August or connecting it to the internet, and how in fact, that is a good boycott measure. And more importantly, why.
A well-thought-out boycott
Does It Play? has called for a boycott of Sony. This comes down to one basic idea: not turning on their PlayStation console, or disconnecting it from the Internet, from 7PM on August 23 until 7PM on August 30. During this period there would be no gaming, no going online, let alone buying Sony games or services. In that way, they want to send the message that users are unhappy with its anti-consumer policies and, above all, with its idea of killing physical media without even consulting the players.
Many people have doubted the effectiveness of this measure. Some critics have said that doing it only for a week and not indefinitely makes no sense, since that will mean Sony won’t take it seriously. Others have pointed out how doing it in the last week of August makes no sense: it would make more sense to do it when the company releases a big game, like the imminent Marvel’s Wolverine, so they feel the impact in their bottom line. But both criticisms miss the bigger picture.
This is a traditional move in organized labor. You start by taking a reasonable, mild measure, one that as many people as possible can join without difficulty. This serves two functions: demonstrating the strength of the movement to the company, but also the strength of the movement to the skeptics.
Not turning on the console or buying games during a week with no special activity isn’t asking much. And that’s the smart move behind this boycott. Joining in isn’t hard. Any effect it has will be evident and above all, will strengthen the movement: it will show that it works. And any damage it does to Sony will be equally evident in its reports. Because this is the other big key. There is no good time for a consumer boycott targeting your company.
Not all boycotts are the same
At Sony, as in any big company, they have data on how much people spend in each specific period and they have projections of how much they expect to be consumed in comparable periods. Any deviation in that regard is studied, analyzed, and they look into why it happened. If a consumption strike is effective enough to make these data show a deviation strong enough for those meetings to make it high enough up the corporate ladder, then that is when something will have been achieved.
That is why this particular boycott is effective. It is clearly limited to a company, to a product, and to a specific period of time. If there is an anomaly in the numbers, at Sony they can’t put it down to anything other than the boycott: they know that’s what caused it. And they must act accordingly.
What if it works, but they ignore it? It is possible to continue with stronger boycotts. Boycotts when they release popular games. Longer boycotts, or even full boycotts. But what matters here is this: creating a narrative where inside Sony and publicly it is undeniable that any variation in profits during the specific period of the boycott is due to it. If they achieve that, the boycott can work.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there are going to be immediate changes or that Sony is going to give in. This is just one battle, and it will probably take many more on many fronts. But it is a battle that can work. And that’s why it’s interesting to see how it plays out.
