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That's sort of the problem with modern advertising, isn't it? Ideally advertising would earnestly connect people with products that might improve their lives. N

That's sort of the problem with modern advertising, isn't it? Ideally advertising would earnestly connect people with products that might improve their lives. No harm, no foul. But the industry is currently so ubiquitously predatory and deceptive that any sort of advertising sets off blaring klaxons in my head. At least, when/if I recognize it as an ad.

lisper 9y ago
> when/if I recognize it as an ad. But that is exactly what I'm asking: how do you tell the difference between an ad and a positive review written in good faith? In particular, how do you tell the difference between the kind of advertising you yearn for, that "earnestly connect[s] people with products that might improve their lives" and a positive review written in good faith? And if you can't tell the difference between the two, then what exactly is the problem? My point is that while I agree with you that modern advertising mostly sucks, I thought this article was pretty useful. I wear glasses, but I've never bought them on line because I was under the impression that Warby-Parker was the only game in town and I hate their frames (I like rimless metal frames and WP only had plastic the last time I looked). This article prompted me to take another look, and in particular it led me to two sites that have exactly the kind of frames I like at less than half what I paid at my optometrist. So this article was tremendously useful to me. Why should I care if it was an ad?
- ataturk 9y ago
  I tried buy my eyeglasses online and because nobody mentioned the little issue of pupillary distance, the frames and lenses I got were useless. Money down a rathole. Costco sorted me out. I'm sure now that I know all the details of not only my Rx but also pupillary distance, I probably could order some glasses online, but once bitten, twice shy for now.
- leggomylibro 9y ago
  Well, that's probably a good and healthy point of view. I think that I'm too cynical in many areas of life. But I have been trained to see 'ad = bad', and I've been jaded with how ads have seeped into every part of every form of media. I guess I'm willing to forego the occasional good-but-unsolicited recommendation in favor of caution, which might not be the best attitude. But it's still an attitude that I have. Chalk it up to the bad actors.

lisper 9y ago

> when/if I recognize it as an ad. But that is exactly what I'm asking: how do you tell the difference between an ad and a positive review written in good faith? In particular, how do you tell the difference between the kind of advertising you yearn for, that "earnestly connect[s] people with products that might improve their lives" and a positive review written in good faith? And if you can't tell the difference between the two, then what exactly is the problem? My point is that while I agree with you that modern advertising mostly sucks, I thought this article was pretty useful. I wear glasses, but I've never bought them on line because I was under the impression that Warby-Parker was the only game in town and I hate their frames (I like rimless metal frames and WP only had plastic the last time I looked). This article prompted me to take another look, and in particular it led me to two sites that have exactly the kind of frames I like at less than half what I paid at my optometrist. So this article was tremendously useful to me. Why should I care if it was an ad?

ataturk 9y ago
I tried buy my eyeglasses online and because nobody mentioned the little issue of pupillary distance, the frames and lenses I got were useless. Money down a rathole. Costco sorted me out. I'm sure now that I know all the details of not only my Rx but also pupillary distance, I probably could order some glasses online, but once bitten, twice shy for now.
leggomylibro 9y ago
Well, that's probably a good and healthy point of view. I think that I'm too cynical in many areas of life. But I have been trained to see 'ad = bad', and I've been jaded with how ads have seeped into every part of every form of media. I guess I'm willing to forego the occasional good-but-unsolicited recommendation in favor of caution, which might not be the best attitude. But it's still an attitude that I have. Chalk it up to the bad actors.