Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Your Share Of Internet Billions

I heard an ad the radio the other day.

Some guy, "against the counsel of his advisers", was willing to share his secrets of how to make lots of money on the internet - telling you how to get "your share of the internet billions" - without even having to go online!

I think you could send away for his free advice. I have a hunch that his free advice might involve paying for some additional items.

But the best part, for me, was when he said you could make "up to 500 dollars a day or more". It was the "up to... or more" construction that struck me as beyond nonsensical.

TV Tropes has taken note of this sort of claim and has their own theory:

'The intent is that "up to 50% or more", instead of being interpreted as "anything", is often interpreted as "most likely 50% with possibilities of taking it to the next level", and thus the advertisers try to get consumers thinking they could save even more than that. Does this really work? It must, because advertisers (particularly low-budget ones) keep doing it.'

Is it a ceiling
or is it a floor?
I am left reeling
by "up to or more".

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