By now most of you will have heard that Amazon has unranked select books. There explanation is that they are unranking books with "adult" content, but books like Heather Has Two Mommies, a pure children's book, has been unranked while Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds hasn't. So far, it appears that it is books with gay and lesbian themes that are being unranked, regardless of any sexual or erotica content.
Yes, you heard right. Amazon is making marketing decisions based on homophobia.
Some people say, "What does it matter if books are unranked? Isn't that only about bestseller lists and the vanity of the author?" No. They also drive recommendations and make it easy for customers to find books whose titles readers may not know. Unranking books is the equivalent of removing books from the shelves and relocating them under the counter or to the backroom where they must be specifically requested only by those who know the specific title.
And while Amazon is claiming that it is a system glitch, back in February, they told an author that his memoir had been removed due to adult content.
More information here:
Amazon Follies
#Amazonfail and the Politics of Anti-Corporate Cyberactivism
Amazon Rankings Reek of Homophobia and Puritanism
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1 comments:
And yet, books detailing murder, violence and suicide are fine.
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