When I (rarely) browse without an ad blocker, I notice how much better contextual ads (ads based on the site I am looking at) are compared to personalized ads. For example, on Board Game Geek shows ads for board games, board game accessories, and board game storage solutions. On webcomics I will see an ad for another webcomic that targets a similar audience. Both types of ads are genuinely interesting to me and I click on them on occasion.
When I see “personalized” ads, they are for things I have absolutely no interest in. On a tech news site, I get an ad for hair conditioner (I have short hair and losing it). On a 3d printing site, I am sold t-shirts with pro-police slogans (the fact that I regularly visit lemmy should automatically mark me as a bad target for the product).
When I (rarely) browse without an ad blocker, I notice how much better contextual ads (ads based on the site I am looking at) are compared to personalized ads. For example, on Board Game Geek shows ads for board games, board game accessories, and board game storage solutions. On webcomics I will see an ad for another webcomic that targets a similar audience. Both types of ads are genuinely interesting to me and I click on them on occasion.
When I see “personalized” ads, they are for things I have absolutely no interest in. On a tech news site, I get an ad for hair conditioner (I have short hair and losing it). On a 3d printing site, I am sold t-shirts with pro-police slogans (the fact that I regularly visit lemmy should automatically mark me as a bad target for the product).
It’s not about what they think you might like. It’s about what they think they can convince you to buy (or at least change your mind about).
It’s never been about “improving your experience” to offer personalised ads.