> Why are we turning internet browsing into an annoying experience filled with popups that are a minefield to navigate? Honestly, because it works if you are t

> Why are we turning internet browsing into an annoying experience filled with popups that are a minefield to navigate? Honestly, because it works if you are targeting a specific niche. The problem with large, generic platforms such as Google and Facebook is that there is no typical demographic, so without knowing who people are it is difficult to point advertising at the most suitable demographic. In the old print days you knew the reader of a car magazine was into cars and the reader of a caravaning magazine was most likely a middle aged couple who were fairly well off and receptive to more expensive lifestyle upgrade goods. If we could find a way to segment like this without tracking that would be great but while everyone uses these large, monolithic, caters for all platforms, it’s really hard, without tracking, to know who you are advertising to. I find retargetting creepy and annoying but I like targeted, informative ads that are relevant to my interests. There is a balance to be found here that walks the line between useful and effective and creepy and annoying. Oh and the cynic in me thinks that the 7 years of ineffective cookie law pop ups was just training people to accept them for GDPR now that they mean a bit more.