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Advertising is a cancer on society
I know it's a blog post, but you're not going to get this kind of thing in a news article. Hopefully SoylentNews' many advertisers won't be offended.
[...] Advertising as currently practiced shares these characteristics. It's a malignant mutation of an idea that efficient markets need a way to connect goods and services with people wanting to buy them. Limited to honestly informing people about what's available on the market, it can serve a crucial function in enabling trade. In the real world however, it's moved way past that role.
Real world advertising is not about informing, it's about convincing. Over time, it became increasingly manipulative and dishonest. It also became more effective. In the process, it grew to consume a significant amount of resources of every company on the planet. It infected every communication medium in existence, both digital and analog. It shapes every product and service you touch, and it affects your interactions with everyone who isn't your close friend or family member. Through all that, it actively destroys trust in people and institutions alike, and corrupts the decision-making process in any market transaction. It became a legitimized form of industrial-scale psychological abuse, and there's no way you can resist its impact.
The growth of advertising is fueled by the enormous waste it creates. In any somewhat saturated market - which, today, is most of them - any effort you spent on advertising serves primarily to counteract the combined advertising efforts of your competitors. The same results could be achieved if every market player limited themselves to just informing customers about their goods and services. This, unfortunately, is impossible for humanity, and so we end up with a zero-sum game instead (or really negative-sum, if you count the externalities). If you have competitors, you can't not participate.
The blog/article goes on to describe Robocalls, telemarketing, Spam, Leaflets, snail mail spam, SEO, and much, much more, all for the same low price! (Now how much would you pay?)
(Score: 5, Funny) by srobert on Thursday August 01 2019, @03:33AM (5 children)
I share these concerns about the impacts of advertising on our society. You know what helps me to think about these things more clearly? Being able to relax. And what could be more relaxing than the smooth taste of a Chesterfield cigarette. Chesterfields, for those moments when you just want to leave the world behind.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 01 2019, @04:02AM (2 children)
Where the hell are you living, is it still the 60s there? Now we have THC vape pens to leave the world behind with.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 01 2019, @06:02AM
I wouldn't let the world have my THC vape pen at my back.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 01 2019, @06:40AM
Bah in my day we grew the THC and smoked it in hand-made papers. GET OFF MY GRASS!
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Thursday August 01 2019, @06:51AM
Now available by special order [costcobusinessdelivery.com] from Costco. Costco, the brand you can trust for reliable business delivery.
(Score: 1) by pTamok on Thursday August 01 2019, @10:54AM
If relief / from ads / is what you crave
Getting marketeers / to behave
Legislation