Industry associations have grossly failed their industries and members by misappropriating funds and failing to deliver value. These organizations, once necessary for centralized communication and knowledge sharing, have become obsolete in the age of the internet.
Sadly, these associations cling to their undeserved power and influence through decades-old behavior that shows resentment of members, hatred of innovation, apathy towards their industries, animosity towards the public, and outright disgust at progressivism.
Industry associations can best be described as leeches who benefit from free labor and public funds. They use these resources to ingratiate themselves with corporations, generating social proof to peddle as propaganda. This article aims to expose how industry associations erode public trust and abuse their power.
Origin Stories of Industry Associations
As the world wars progressed, so did the need for standards to promote safety, reliability, efficiency, repeatability, and innovation. The pace of technological advancement outpaced what traditional education venues could provide. Thus, industry associations were created to corral practitioners, develop standards, and provide continuing education.
Before the internet, monolithic centralized organizations made sense for keeping up with technological changes. These associations also provided networking opportunities. However, the internet has made such centralized communication and knowledge sharing obsolete.
Humans rapidly create and decommission social structures to adapt and thrive. For decades, people have self-organized into niche online communities. This diversity of sources improves information accuracy and adaptability, reducing corruption.
The Predatory Behaviors of Industry Associations
Industry associations primarily receive funding from public grants, corporate donations, and membership dues. Despite their mission to advance their industries through publicly accessible knowledge, they keep vital information behind paywalls, fostering a cult-like mentality among members. This behavior undermines collaboration and fails to educate the public.
The most despicable thing about industry associations is that their standards are developed by volunteers, yet the associations hide this knowledge behind paywalls. Continuing education programs are now largely defunct, as knowledge travels faster in the decentralized internet ecosystem. Professionals can network independently, researchers can establish standards without associations, and practitioners can find suppliers and funding directly. Why be subservient to an association when professionals can now simply independently network with each other directly through the internet?
It is stomach-turning to realize that industry associations have basically devolved into perverting the scientific profession by obfuscating information, manipulating customers into buying their wares by peddling propaganda using social proof, and doing nothing to educate the public on the state of affairs in their respective industries.
The Industry Association Propaganda Machine
Creation of Standards: Standards are created with little real-world application. The internet has rendered this centralized forum moot, yet impractical standards continue to be produced.
Pitch to Companies: Companies are told these standards will solve their problems and must buy products/services from accredited companies.
Customer Manipulation: Unsuspecting customers are sold unnecessary products and services using social proof.
Industry associations are not law enforcement agencies. They also claim to not engage in politics. However, they frequently use their social proof to lobby for laws that incentivize the adoption of their standards and punish those who do not. Within industrial automation, it is shameful that no industry association supports open source and right to repair.
Progressive laws protecting consumer rights and promoting open source have come exclusively from grassroots activism, not industry associations. These associations are propaganda mouthpieces that pervert the industries they operate in and encourage bad actors.
The tides are turning. Practitioners, the market, businesses, and the public have grown tired of the corrupt ways of industry associations. They grow tired of the unwillingness of industry associations to serve as watchdogs to hold bad actors accountable. They grow tired of a litany of standards that take entire departments to decipher, let alone actually implement as intended. They grow tired of industry associations choosing to not advocate for progressive laws to make knowledge publicly available and for fair competition.
Summary
Industry associations have become predatory entities that leverage their social proof to sell unnecessary products and services to unsuspecting customers. They receive public funds and rely on volunteer work, yet they hide their work behind paywalls. They also fail to educate the public and do not act as watchdogs for bad actors. This pattern of behavior shows their apathy and resentment towards the industries they serve, and their refusal to engage in public discourse or support progressive laws. In essence, industry associations have failed to be good stewards of their professions.
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DISCLAIMER: I am not sponsored or influenced in any way, shape, or form by the companies and products mentioned. This is my own original content, with image credits given as appropriate and necessary.
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