4 ms·

If you watch TV/look at billboards, you are already being tricked everyday. Why advts online are so malicious? Edit: This was a genuine question and I don't un

If you watch TV/look at billboards, you are already being tricked everyday. Why advts online are so malicious? Edit: This was a genuine question and I don't understand the down votes :|

blacksmith_tb 10y ago
They aren't more malicious than billboards (which of course have been banned in some major cities [1]) or other public advertising, but they are equally malicious. [edit] Having said that, the 'security risk' angle does make online ads more malicious, potentially... 1: https://www.newdream.org/resources/sao-paolo-ad-ban https://www.newdream.org/resources/sao-paolo-ad-ban
oconnore 10y ago
I subscribe to Netflix for that reason. Online ads are not uniquely malicious, although they are more pervasive (even reading a magazine, the page I am actively reading will not have an ad in between paragraphs, though the next page might). I do think modern marketing firms (and often therefore web) have developed more effective -- and therefore bad -- techniques to have the effect they are paid for. PS. I upvoted you because I don't think it was a bad question. If I had to guess, it may be misconstrued as a [bad] rhetorical question arguing that "you already have to put up with X, so it's pointless/inconsistent/illogical to reduce your exposure to X".
- vthallam 10y ago
  True! Guess a couple of banner advts on the side of the page wouldn't bother anyone, the intrusive one's definitely are the reason most hate advts.
dudul 10y ago
I work in ad-tech. Let me tell you that online advts has access to a lot of info about you. Much more than you would imagine. So yeah, nobody said TV-ads weren't malicious, but ad-tech is taking it to another level.
unfunco 10y ago
Billboards don't reach into my pocket and try to steal my identification, nor do they spontaneously come-alive and follow me around the city in which I saw the billboard. My TV also knows very little about me.
charonn0 10y ago
I can ignore a billboard or mute a TV ad and the advertiser has no way of knowing.
KurtMueller 10y ago
Who says tv and billboards aren't just as malicious? Ad blockers make it easy to purge ads from my online experience. Fortunately, I just don't watch television and when I do, I always mute and look away from advertisements. Billboard advertisements is harder to control since I drive myself everywhere.
majewsky 10y ago
They are malicious, too. But I can't block them just yet. (I'm eagerly waiting for an augmented-reality adblocker.)
- ourmandave 10y ago
  That would destroy Nascar as we know it. It would look like empty track with the sound of cars going by.
Dirlewanger 10y ago
In those cases though, they are just there. They aren't scanning my irises for how many times I've seen them Minority Report-style. ...yet.
seanp2k2 10y ago
I don't watch TV (only Netflix) and wish there was an option for billboard ad blocking. It'd be an interesting art / social commentary project if e.g. Someone started draping black opaque plastic over billboards with drones and put the ABP logo on them. Feel free to steal this idea :)
vitd 10y ago
FWIW, I "block" TV ads by either watching the show over the internet and paying not to have ads (iTunes, Netflix, etc.), or by recording them on a DVR and skipping the ads. I avoid newspapers and magazines both because of ads and because the need for ad revenue has compromised the quality of the product.

If you watch TV/look at billboards, you are already being tricked everyday. Why advts online are so malicious? Edit: This was a genuine question and I don't understand the down votes :|

blacksmith_tb 10y ago

They aren't more malicious than billboards (which of course have been banned in some major cities [1]) or other public advertising, but they are equally malicious. [edit] Having said that, the 'security risk' angle does make online ads more malicious, potentially... 1: https://www.newdream.org/resources/sao-paolo-ad-ban https://www.newdream.org/resources/sao-paolo-ad-ban

oconnore 10y ago

I subscribe to Netflix for that reason. Online ads are not uniquely malicious, although they are more pervasive (even reading a magazine, the page I am actively reading will not have an ad in between paragraphs, though the next page might). I do think modern marketing firms (and often therefore web) have developed more effective -- and therefore bad -- techniques to have the effect they are paid for. PS. I upvoted you because I don't think it was a bad question. If I had to guess, it may be misconstrued as a [bad] rhetorical question arguing that "you already have to put up with X, so it's pointless/inconsistent/illogical to reduce your exposure to X".

vthallam 10y ago
True! Guess a couple of banner advts on the side of the page wouldn't bother anyone, the intrusive one's definitely are the reason most hate advts.

dudul 10y ago

I work in ad-tech. Let me tell you that online advts has access to a lot of info about you. Much more than you would imagine. So yeah, nobody said TV-ads weren't malicious, but ad-tech is taking it to another level.

unfunco 10y ago

Billboards don't reach into my pocket and try to steal my identification, nor do they spontaneously come-alive and follow me around the city in which I saw the billboard. My TV also knows very little about me.

charonn0 10y ago

I can ignore a billboard or mute a TV ad and the advertiser has no way of knowing.

KurtMueller 10y ago

Who says tv and billboards aren't just as malicious? Ad blockers make it easy to purge ads from my online experience. Fortunately, I just don't watch television and when I do, I always mute and look away from advertisements. Billboard advertisements is harder to control since I drive myself everywhere.

majewsky 10y ago

They are malicious, too. But I can't block them just yet. (I'm eagerly waiting for an augmented-reality adblocker.)

ourmandave 10y ago
That would destroy Nascar as we know it. It would look like empty track with the sound of cars going by.

Dirlewanger 10y ago

In those cases though, they are just there. They aren't scanning my irises for how many times I've seen them Minority Report-style. ...yet.

seanp2k2 10y ago

I don't watch TV (only Netflix) and wish there was an option for billboard ad blocking. It'd be an interesting art / social commentary project if e.g. Someone started draping black opaque plastic over billboards with drones and put the ABP logo on them. Feel free to steal this idea :)

vitd 10y ago

FWIW, I "block" TV ads by either watching the show over the internet and paying not to have ads (iTunes, Netflix, etc.), or by recording them on a DVR and skipping the ads. I avoid newspapers and magazines both because of ads and because the need for ad revenue has compromised the quality of the product.