Let it stand. If ads are an integral part of the work and its message, let’s make the website owners fully legally responsible for the content of every single ad they display. If any ad contains malware or is a scam let’s throw the C-suite in jail for it.
That would solve most of the issues with ads really fast.
Malware and scams aren’t the only problem with ads, the real problem is much more to the essence of what an ad is, which is trying to manipulate you into buying a product, giving up the product of your labour for something you often don’t even need, without your consent.
I agree. Ads are just completely scummy. If I am interested in buying something, I will research and decide for myself what I want to buy by looking at marketing material, specs, etc. The only thing ads are good for is making you subconsciously more likely to think of mc Donalds over bk when deciding where to stop for food, and that kind of subtle manipulation should be illegal. Sorry for ranting about something you seem to agree with me on, but a little circle jerking is nice every now and then.
I agree that the vast majority of ads are manipulative, but are there not legitimate uses in notification? Like posters annoucing an event, requests for scientific trials, or even lost posters.
Advertising / public relations is the science to reprogram human minds to do what you want. The technology is improving. So I see advertising as one of the great evils in our civilization which we aren’t even able to discuss because every news or social media runs off of ads. It limits what content is produced by changing what content is profitable for the advertiser.
Sure there are legitimate uses to spread information - but that is not the same as “advertising”. And it’s also not true that we couldn’t differentiate between the two.
