• 58008@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    15
    ·
    3 days ago

    Making people think that seeing ads that interest them is a concession from the ad industry, to the point that people actively try to help advertisers sell more effectively to them by opting in to it, is the greatest piece of bullshittery I’ve ever seen in all of human history. I’ve never seen a more successful grift before or since. Jeffrey Epstein’s blackmail scheme involving the world’s billionaires has nothing on this reprehensible shit. You gotta admire it, despite it being pure unadulterated evil, regardless of whether or not it’s actually effective in the end. The fact remains, we accepted this hilariously-transparent con into our lives with open arms and actually complain when it’s not performing well enough.

    • nagaram@startrek.website
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      2 days ago

      I agree with the sentiment (ads blocked in so many ways here).

      However, people are looking to buy things and ads do work. I used to discover cool products and go to cool events I found because of ads and algorithms.

      But I swear I haven’t seen anything worth buy for years before I went full anti-ad. Its all temu drop shipped garbage and AI cheating tools now. I don’t even get hot singles like the good old days!

      • sunbytes@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        2 days ago

        The products I can find on my own. I just need an ad to tell me that the type of product exists (I’m aware that only monopolies would benefit from that kind of as).

        I’ll be choosing the model/brand on merit. If anything the one being heavily advertised is going to be worse (or at least the cost of the ads is included in the price).

        • nagaram@startrek.website
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 days ago

          I’d agree with that use of ads.

          Hell, my last laptop purchase was because of an ad, but I bought a totally different company’s laptop.