[p4wnc6]

Many people have used Amazon within the past year, and therefore it would be unlikely for them to have not heard of Echo. It's very much a household name, yet doesn't seem to justify being so. That is puzzling.

Including the information about the overwhelming response I've encountered (an actual aversion to the idea of the device) is relevant. It is not a distraction. It's more likely that it is downvoted because it is viewed as a negative comment about Amazon and about overhyped tech -- such comments are frequently downvoted here.

It's very easy to have a network that randomizes over age, tech literacy, and physical location. I'm frankly baffled you would think that's hard to obtain. I grew up in a poor part of the rural Midwest, met lots of international people while in college, and worked in southeast Asia and western Europe for brief periods. Even without those working experiences, I would have a very globally diverse set of connections, and while it may not be true for everyone, it's not as outrageously rare as you seem to portray.

I maintain that including my experience of hearing no reaction other than aversion is useful as a starting point to further ask why it is so hyped. I don't mind if others don't like it, but I don't agree with your characterization as a "brand of pseudo-rationality you are engaging in" -- that part is ridiculous.