Geeks like to form factions for many of the same reasons that people who have strong religious beliefs do. It’s nice to be around others with a similar mindset, while at the same time, it’s also nice to be able to join an “army” that tries to crush the competing company or deity. Mac versus PC. iOS versus Android. There are people out there who spend every waking hour of their lives trying to make sure you know exactly how they feel about some silly company.
Which brings me to Microsoft. They’re in a really weird spot right now. They’ve been the dominant player for so long now that it feels weird to see them struggling to make any consumer impact. No one is doubting Microsoft’s ability to print money thanks to their enterprise clients, but when it comes to regular people’s purchase decisions, they want to buy something that’s powered by either Apple’s software or Google’s software. How do you combat that? By enlisting your army to purchase propaganda. “Scroogled” is a word Microsoft invented to describe what it’s like to use Google’s software and services. The search giant reads all your data and shares everything they can about you with advertisers, thereby screwing you, in order to make money. Childish? Definitely, but never mind how it looks to normal people, because to hardcore Microsoft fans, Google is the antichrist. So if you’re into showing your Microsoft pride, go buy a t-shirt.
