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And I hate to be the bringer of discouraging news, but the reason tech companies are succeeding at selling us our own data is that we want it. In every click w

And I hate to be the bringer of discouraging news, but the reason tech companies are succeeding at selling us our own data is that we want it. In every click we make to like something, buy something targeted at us, listen to media we like, we teach companies or algorithms that we want what they have. And so yelling at the company for delivering what we have shown we want is a bit like yelling at yourself for eating so much ice cream. Until we put down our phones and stop reinforcing the outcome, we're a big source of our own problems. You might as well try to change human nature.

redisman 6y ago
This is fairly disingenuous. Our online behaviour is driven largely by billion/trillion dollar companies microtargeting people like you and manipulating our emotions and our neolithic era brain parts.
rightbyte 6y ago
Adspending is way overvalued. Ad-people are buying adwords for their own company brand and do Powerpoints of the impressive conversion rate. Furthermore, showing ads for something I am allready looking for is probably not as profitable as the adspacebuyer thinks. They underestimate the chance of me buying their stuff anyway.
nikitaga 6y ago
And I hate to be the bringer of discouraging news, but the reason car manufacturers are succeeding at selling us polluting gas guzzlers is that we want it. Every time we buy an SUV and pay for gas, we teach companies and their executives that we want what they have. And so yelling at the company for delivering what we have shown we want is a bit like yelling at yourself for eating so much ice cream. Until we start using electric cars or transit, we're a big source of our own problems. You might as well try to change human nature. --- Yeah nope, this insight from the '80s didn't age well. Regulation has repeatedly fixed broken markets, and the whole ad tracking / data broker industry is beyond broken. The real "human nature" is responding to incentives. Applies to companies too. Adjusting those incentives with regulation has a long track record of being effective when done with even a modicum of goodwill and competence, which despite politicking is usually the case. Of course, breakups of individual companies won't achieve much as you said. But that doesn't justify jumping to "it's up to individuals to change their behaviour" mantra. That's exactly the bullshit that the plastics industry successfully used to pollute the whole planet with their garbage, blaming individuals for not recycling. You can debate the morals of that kind of blame, but you can't deny that it's completely ineffective at solving the problem.

redisman 6y ago

This is fairly disingenuous. Our online behaviour is driven largely by billion/trillion dollar companies microtargeting people like you and manipulating our emotions and our neolithic era brain parts.

rightbyte 6y ago

Adspending is way overvalued. Ad-people are buying adwords for their own company brand and do Powerpoints of the impressive conversion rate. Furthermore, showing ads for something I am allready looking for is probably not as profitable as the adspacebuyer thinks. They underestimate the chance of me buying their stuff anyway.

nikitaga 6y ago

And I hate to be the bringer of discouraging news, but the reason car manufacturers are succeeding at selling us polluting gas guzzlers is that we want it. Every time we buy an SUV and pay for gas, we teach companies and their executives that we want what they have. And so yelling at the company for delivering what we have shown we want is a bit like yelling at yourself for eating so much ice cream. Until we start using electric cars or transit, we're a big source of our own problems. You might as well try to change human nature. --- Yeah nope, this insight from the '80s didn't age well. Regulation has repeatedly fixed broken markets, and the whole ad tracking / data broker industry is beyond broken. The real "human nature" is responding to incentives. Applies to companies too. Adjusting those incentives with regulation has a long track record of being effective when done with even a modicum of goodwill and competence, which despite politicking is usually the case. Of course, breakups of individual companies won't achieve much as you said. But that doesn't justify jumping to "it's up to individuals to change their behaviour" mantra. That's exactly the bullshit that the plastics industry successfully used to pollute the whole planet with their garbage, blaming individuals for not recycling. You can debate the morals of that kind of blame, but you can't deny that it's completely ineffective at solving the problem.