listening
Explanation
The Joke
The comic presents a pitch for a device: "Can I put a device in your back that perpetually listens to everything you say to companies that use that information, prevents you from removing it, and you have no access to it?" The person being pitched to responds with horror: "No, absolutely not!" The salesman then reframes the pitch: "The device can speak, but when you load up orders it takes 30 minutes to deliver them." The person eagerly accepts with "Ooh, me! Me!"
The joke is a pointed commentary on smart speakers and virtual assistants like Amazon Echo (Alexa) or Google Home. When the privacy implications are laid out plainly -- a device that constantly listens to you, sends data to corporations, and cannot be removed -- people recoil in disgust. But when the exact same device is reframed as a convenient gadget that can take voice orders and deliver things, people enthusiastically sign up.
The Humor
The humor lies in the stark contrast between how people react to the same technology depending on how it is framed. The comic strips away the marketing language around smart home devices to reveal what they actually do in privacy terms, and shows that people would never accept such surveillance if it were described honestly. Yet the moment the description pivots to convenience features, all privacy concerns evaporate instantly. It is a sharp satirical observation about how easily consumer convenience overrides concerns about corporate surveillance -- a recurring theme in technology criticism.