7 ms·

Why stop with targeted? Most of us would probably prefer fewer total ads. Living in New York City, I thought of Times Square as a tourist destination, but I had

by spodek 9y ago

Why stop with targeted? Most of us would probably prefer fewer total ads. Living in New York City, I thought of Times Square as a tourist destination, but I hadn't thought about it without ads. On reflection, I'd prefer no billboards. Have you seen Sao Paolo before and after banning outdoor ads? Sao Paolo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0FUY5KI67Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0FUY5KI67Y Grenoble starting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSxCsmdanWA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSxCsmdanWA

fauigerzigerk 9y ago
Because then we'd have to pay for everything directly, and payment is incompatible with anonymity. In other words, I don't want to give my credit card to porn sites.
- gnode 9y ago
  Anonymity and fluidity of payments is something which technology can potentially address, but I agree that this is currently not the case. I see no reason why this couldn't change in the future. Wanting everything online for free is, in my opinion, a cultural matter. In the physical world, we're used to paying for almost everything; food, transport, housing, (indirectly) the street lights, etc. very few things are provided gratis through advertising.
- FussyZeus 9y ago
  In defense of porn sites: That's one of the seemingly vanishingly rare instances these days where you pay the fee and they knock it off completely. No more ads, no more upselling, no prompting for reviews or comments whatever the hell. It just becomes a functioning site in which to watch porn. Yeah I know it's sad that this is so remarkable, but at the same time, it's one of the rare instances where you're actually getting what you pay for.
  - gnode 9y ago
    My experience with most / all paid services has been grievance free. Admittedly in the case of Netflix I only use it on my smart TV; I have no experience of how it behaves on other platforms.
  - fauigerzigerk 9y ago
    I'm not concerned about the porn sites themselves. I'm concerned about the increasingly intolerant sentiment towards anything sexual in our society. There is a tendency to criminalise, censor or otherwise punish voluntary sexual activity between adults, and its coming from all political sides with different excuses and wording.
- Zak 9y ago
  > payment is incompatible with anonymity Monero was designed to solve this problem. I hope that something based on those ideas becomes a popular or dominant means of payment in the future.
  - fauigerzigerk 9y ago
    It's not a technical design problem. Governments will never allow a widely used anonymous digital payment system. There is absolutely not a shred of doubt in my mind about that.
    - Zak 9y ago
      They'd have a hard time banning it. Bitcoin can already be used anonymously if you're careful and an attempt to ban that in countries that are something resembling democratic would be an uphill battle at a minimum.
      - fauigerzigerk 9y ago
        Bitcoin is anything but widely used. Democratic countries tightly regulate everything that is usable for money laundering as soon as it reaches a size that makes it relevant. Bitcoin is insignificant at this point and the push for regulation has already started.
- jasonkostempski 9y ago
  We just need cash that works online. We can already buy gift cards with cash and use those online, maybe a similar process could be streamlined and designed specifically around anonymity.
  - TACIXAT 9y ago
    Unfortunately there is a ton of regulation around any sort of electronic payments. In the US there are federal regulations as well as individual state licenses. If it is possible, anonymity will not be a feature.
oldcynic 9y ago
I'm often struck by how excessive it has become when seeing photos from history of any town. Where once spaces were for people now they seem to be spaces to shout at the people. Marketing, ads, signs get bigger, brighter and every available surface has been turned into an ad spot. Most high streets and tourist spots have now become as attractive as a Geocities site using every available tag and font.
- FussyZeus 9y ago
  The advertising industry in general is hitting just ludicrous saturation levels. I barely register ads anymore because there are just so fucking many now. My brain is attuned to shut them out, which makes them less effective, and the only solution the ad industry seems to have is MORE SODDING ADS. What also strikes me is how many billboards in my commute route (not long, but still) are blank, or rather, just have the owner's spiel on them about outdoor advertising and how to get your ad on one. A lot of them have looked like that for a long time, maybe we're finally hitting saturation?
  - nkrisc 9y ago
    I enact my own personal rebellion by actively avoiding products I've seen advertised, given the opportunity to do so. If I'm choosing between Product A and Product B and I can't tell any difference between them, but I've seen Product A shouted at me in ads, I'll choose B.
    - nugi 9y ago
      I also do this, as do a few friends. It may not be effective, but it feels great not to support terrible ads. It seems like my process for shopping begins with whitelist search (Does my favorite brand make one?), to domain search (what options are available), to blacklist filter (nope, not that brand), now finally actual product evaluation, then price/value judgement when combined with any emotional(immediate) or future rewards for buying the product. I then check my balance/wallet, make a second value decision, and accept that I can't afford it and buy the cheap one, if at all. /s But that is why some bad brands persist, simple economics. The advertising is just a byproduct at that point, there to establish it as 'viable' in our mind for that final desprate decision. My favorite ads demonstrate without evangalizing, and let me feel like I decided. How hard is that?
dsr_ 9y ago
NYC has control of billboard size, number, brightness and placement. If you want it to change, you can have local regulation.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

by spodek 9y ago

fauigerzigerk 9y ago

Because then we'd have to pay for everything directly, and payment is incompatible with anonymity. In other words, I don't want to give my credit card to porn sites.

gnode 9y ago
Anonymity and fluidity of payments is something which technology can potentially address, but I agree that this is currently not the case. I see no reason why this couldn't change in the future. Wanting everything online for free is, in my opinion, a cultural matter. In the physical world, we're used to paying for almost everything; food, transport, housing, (indirectly) the street lights, etc. very few things are provided gratis through advertising.
FussyZeus 9y ago
In defense of porn sites: That's one of the seemingly vanishingly rare instances these days where you pay the fee and they knock it off completely. No more ads, no more upselling, no prompting for reviews or comments whatever the hell. It just becomes a functioning site in which to watch porn. Yeah I know it's sad that this is so remarkable, but at the same time, it's one of the rare instances where you're actually getting what you pay for.
- gnode 9y ago
  My experience with most / all paid services has been grievance free. Admittedly in the case of Netflix I only use it on my smart TV; I have no experience of how it behaves on other platforms.
- fauigerzigerk 9y ago
  I'm not concerned about the porn sites themselves. I'm concerned about the increasingly intolerant sentiment towards anything sexual in our society. There is a tendency to criminalise, censor or otherwise punish voluntary sexual activity between adults, and its coming from all political sides with different excuses and wording.
Zak 9y ago
> payment is incompatible with anonymity Monero was designed to solve this problem. I hope that something based on those ideas becomes a popular or dominant means of payment in the future.
- fauigerzigerk 9y ago
  It's not a technical design problem. Governments will never allow a widely used anonymous digital payment system. There is absolutely not a shred of doubt in my mind about that.
  - Zak 9y ago
    They'd have a hard time banning it. Bitcoin can already be used anonymously if you're careful and an attempt to ban that in countries that are something resembling democratic would be an uphill battle at a minimum.
    - fauigerzigerk 9y ago
      Bitcoin is anything but widely used. Democratic countries tightly regulate everything that is usable for money laundering as soon as it reaches a size that makes it relevant. Bitcoin is insignificant at this point and the push for regulation has already started.
jasonkostempski 9y ago
We just need cash that works online. We can already buy gift cards with cash and use those online, maybe a similar process could be streamlined and designed specifically around anonymity.
- TACIXAT 9y ago
  Unfortunately there is a ton of regulation around any sort of electronic payments. In the US there are federal regulations as well as individual state licenses. If it is possible, anonymity will not be a feature.

oldcynic 9y ago

I'm often struck by how excessive it has become when seeing photos from history of any town. Where once spaces were for people now they seem to be spaces to shout at the people. Marketing, ads, signs get bigger, brighter and every available surface has been turned into an ad spot. Most high streets and tourist spots have now become as attractive as a Geocities site using every available tag and font.

FussyZeus 9y ago
The advertising industry in general is hitting just ludicrous saturation levels. I barely register ads anymore because there are just so fucking many now. My brain is attuned to shut them out, which makes them less effective, and the only solution the ad industry seems to have is MORE SODDING ADS. What also strikes me is how many billboards in my commute route (not long, but still) are blank, or rather, just have the owner's spiel on them about outdoor advertising and how to get your ad on one. A lot of them have looked like that for a long time, maybe we're finally hitting saturation?
- nkrisc 9y ago
  I enact my own personal rebellion by actively avoiding products I've seen advertised, given the opportunity to do so. If I'm choosing between Product A and Product B and I can't tell any difference between them, but I've seen Product A shouted at me in ads, I'll choose B.
  - nugi 9y ago
    I also do this, as do a few friends. It may not be effective, but it feels great not to support terrible ads. It seems like my process for shopping begins with whitelist search (Does my favorite brand make one?), to domain search (what options are available), to blacklist filter (nope, not that brand), now finally actual product evaluation, then price/value judgement when combined with any emotional(immediate) or future rewards for buying the product. I then check my balance/wallet, make a second value decision, and accept that I can't afford it and buy the cheap one, if at all. /s But that is why some bad brands persist, simple economics. The advertising is just a byproduct at that point, there to establish it as 'viable' in our mind for that final desprate decision. My favorite ads demonstrate without evangalizing, and let me feel like I decided. How hard is that?

dsr_ 9y ago

NYC has control of billboard size, number, brightness and placement. If you want it to change, you can have local regulation.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]