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For Facebook at least, it's not about 'ads'. Personalised ads are a distraction. Not being able to track outside of their platform takes away the ability to ext
by sbuk 6y ago
For Facebook at least, it's not about 'ads'. Personalised ads are a distraction. Not being able to track outside of their platform takes away the ability to extend the profile they are building around the user. Their customers are interested in this profile because they can use that information to manipulate the user. And we're not talking about choosing Bosch over Whirlpool for a new dishwasher...
- srtjstjsj 6y agoYou're weirdly obliquely referring to political ads. Those are ads.
- braythwayt 6y agoNot just ads, but yes ads. If I friend/follow a lot of people, and I have a simple timeline, I see what they're thinking about. But if there's an algorithm selecting which posts I see from my social circle, and it happens to shade one way versus another, there are no ads, no synthetic content, but I have still been manipulated. FB experimented with this quite famously a while back, they used sentiment analysis to see if they could manipulate people into being more or less depressed. Without informing users, obtaining their consent, or following any of the other rigorous requirements for doing psychological research that we demand from medical proactitioners.
- sbuk 6y agoYes and no. Yes, in the literal sence. Political ads like "Vote for John Doe; the law and order candidate" when you profile as a conservative is fine. Pushing "We send the EU £350 million a week, let's fund our NHS instead" when you profile as conservative isn't, because it's a lie designed to provoke a reaction and rile supporters. Or filling your feed not with just ads, but "news". Yes, that's paid for too. Edit: braythwayt said it far more eloquently than I...