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I find none of this unethical and actually pretty typical web marketing stuff - tame even. Not exactly sure who was harmed and in the end the consumer really wa

I find none of this unethical and actually pretty typical web marketing stuff - tame even. Not exactly sure who was harmed and in the end the consumer really wanted what was offered.

snomad 9y ago
I worry that tech's gamification - gone too far for addiction - will be this generation's big tobacco settlement.
- brogrammernot 9y ago
  That's quite a hyperbole.
  - yomly 9y ago
    I mean, social media preys on people's insecurities and need for validation and is allowed for anyone over 13. Pay to win mobile games are designed to be addictive and upsell you to continue playing. At least in a casino you have a chance of winning money. The most terrifying thing is that with tech, the data harvesting is immediate and far reaching - people's entire jobs in UX are basically to make games more engaging (aka addictive). Currently the addictiveness of tech is evolving faster than human wisdom and regulation can keep up so while hyperbolic, there is some sense to the doomsaying.
  - omginternets 9y ago
    I don't think he's saying that its as deadly as tobacco. Rather, I think his point is that the magnitude of its nefarious effects will surprise the general populace.
mintplant 9y ago
I have a feeling the AirBnB story runs afoul of anti-spam laws. Perhaps even some sort of fraud, as they used an array of fake names with the intent to deceive as to the source of the emails.
stephengillie 9y ago
Many find "typical web marketing" tactics to be unethical, and express this through adblocker use.
BigJono 9y ago
The Airbnb one is definitely on the unethical side of the line. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't do the same thing to grow my business though. I don't think anyone really got hurt by it. The others are mostly fine. Especially Quora. I don't know how anyone could have a problem with the founders... using the site properly themselves?
mbesto 9y ago
If every entity did those same things would you appreciate that type of experience on the web?
wisty 9y ago
It seems incredibly ugly if you haven't seen it before. A lot of things are like that. The formation of nation states. A lot of relationships. Sausages. That's all I can think of off the top of my head, but you get the picture, but a lot of things seem pretty wrong if you just explain how they actually get made. Sometimes there's just a certain amount of unavoidable unpleasantness to how some things happen.

I find none of this unethical and actually pretty typical web marketing stuff - tame even. Not exactly sure who was harmed and in the end the consumer really wanted what was offered.

snomad 9y ago

I worry that tech's gamification - gone too far for addiction - will be this generation's big tobacco settlement.

brogrammernot 9y ago
That's quite a hyperbole.
- yomly 9y ago
  I mean, social media preys on people's insecurities and need for validation and is allowed for anyone over 13. Pay to win mobile games are designed to be addictive and upsell you to continue playing. At least in a casino you have a chance of winning money. The most terrifying thing is that with tech, the data harvesting is immediate and far reaching - people's entire jobs in UX are basically to make games more engaging (aka addictive). Currently the addictiveness of tech is evolving faster than human wisdom and regulation can keep up so while hyperbolic, there is some sense to the doomsaying.
- omginternets 9y ago
  I don't think he's saying that its as deadly as tobacco. Rather, I think his point is that the magnitude of its nefarious effects will surprise the general populace.

mintplant 9y ago

I have a feeling the AirBnB story runs afoul of anti-spam laws. Perhaps even some sort of fraud, as they used an array of fake names with the intent to deceive as to the source of the emails.

stephengillie 9y ago

Many find "typical web marketing" tactics to be unethical, and express this through adblocker use.

BigJono 9y ago

The Airbnb one is definitely on the unethical side of the line. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't do the same thing to grow my business though. I don't think anyone really got hurt by it. The others are mostly fine. Especially Quora. I don't know how anyone could have a problem with the founders... using the site properly themselves?

mbesto 9y ago

If every entity did those same things would you appreciate that type of experience on the web?

wisty 9y ago

It seems incredibly ugly if you haven't seen it before. A lot of things are like that. The formation of nation states. A lot of relationships. Sausages. That's all I can think of off the top of my head, but you get the picture, but a lot of things seem pretty wrong if you just explain how they actually get made. Sometimes there's just a certain amount of unavoidable unpleasantness to how some things happen.