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Some people are obviously making a connection between the two or else there wouldn't be political spending on Facebook.

ch4s3 7y ago
Campaigns and PACs spend money on all kinds of useless things. The burden of proof is on the people claiming that Facebook ads are uniquely malevolent and effective. This is also not to mention that the money spent on Facebook pales in comparison to other channels. From my perspective, it has all of the hallmarks of a moral panic, right down to the calls to "think of the children."
- take_a_breath 7y ago
  ==Campaigns and PACs spend money on all kinds of useless things.== Do you have a citation for this? It seems like a failure in the free market if organizations spend $55 billion [1] on Facebook advertisements with no benefit. ==From my perspective, it has all of the hallmarks of a moral panic, right down to the calls to "think of the children."== What data is that perspective based on or is it just your gut feeling (aka bias)? [1] https://martechtoday.com/despite-ongoing-criticism-facebook-generates-16-6-billion-in-ad-revenue-during-q4-up-30-yoy-230261 https://martechtoday.com/despite-ongoing-criticism-facebook-...
  - ch4s3 7y ago
    Do you need a citation to know that lots of PACs engage in polling using worthless methodology? Surely you've seen expensive TV spots that have no clear messaging and make the candidate they support look awful. A whole lot of campaign spending seems like grifting, but maybe I'm wrong. Look, I'm not say that FB ads are totally useless in general, just that there's some burden of proof when you claim they swayed an election. > What data is that perspective based on or is it just your gut feeling (aka bias)? People have literally used the phrase "think of the children," or some variation.
  - ekianjo 7y ago
    First, you dont know if your investment is good until the election actually happens since polls are massively unreliable, so the opportunity to adjust spending is limited. Second, campaigns are not driven like companies.
ekianjo 7y ago
Political spending happens anyway regardless whether or not Facebook exists. now it is just one more channel to use to reach people, among dozens of others.

Campaigns and PACs spend money on all kinds of useless things. The burden of proof is on the people claiming that Facebook ads are uniquely malevolent and effective. This is also not to mention that the money spent on Facebook pales in comparison to other channels. From my perspective, it has all of the hallmarks of a moral panic, right down to the calls to "think of the children."

take_a_breath 7y ago
==Campaigns and PACs spend money on all kinds of useless things.== Do you have a citation for this? It seems like a failure in the free market if organizations spend $55 billion [1] on Facebook advertisements with no benefit. ==From my perspective, it has all of the hallmarks of a moral panic, right down to the calls to "think of the children."== What data is that perspective based on or is it just your gut feeling (aka bias)? [1] https://martechtoday.com/despite-ongoing-criticism-facebook-generates-16-6-billion-in-ad-revenue-during-q4-up-30-yoy-230261 https://martechtoday.com/despite-ongoing-criticism-facebook-...
- ch4s3 7y ago
  Do you need a citation to know that lots of PACs engage in polling using worthless methodology? Surely you've seen expensive TV spots that have no clear messaging and make the candidate they support look awful. A whole lot of campaign spending seems like grifting, but maybe I'm wrong. Look, I'm not say that FB ads are totally useless in general, just that there's some burden of proof when you claim they swayed an election. > What data is that perspective based on or is it just your gut feeling (aka bias)? People have literally used the phrase "think of the children," or some variation.
- ekianjo 7y ago
  First, you dont know if your investment is good until the election actually happens since polls are massively unreliable, so the opportunity to adjust spending is limited. Second, campaigns are not driven like companies.

ekianjo 7y ago

Political spending happens anyway regardless whether or not Facebook exists. now it is just one more channel to use to reach people, among dozens of others.