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As much as we love to hate targeted advertising here on HN, it's a godsend to small businesses. And, dare I say...some people like it? Step outside the techie b

As much as we love to hate targeted advertising here on HN, it's a godsend to small businesses. And, dare I say...some people like it? Step outside the techie bubble and I have friends who actually curate their Facebook interests to make the adverts more relevant to them (yes, they know it's making them easier to sell to and invading their privacy and no, they don't care!). I'm buying my girlfriend a £100 wool jumper for her birthday because she saw an advert on Facebook, from a company I've never heard of. Targeted advertising (especially on social media) really levels the playing-field, as smaller businesses can target niche audiences. It's sad that Big Tech have ended up the de-facto middleman between all advertisers and all communities, but that's a separate question. If you want to make it easier for competing advertising agencies to carve out parts of the market the worst thing you can do is add onerous complex regulation.

seibelj 6y ago
You have friends that actually spend their free time modifying their profile to make advertising easier? The fuck? Is this a psyop post from FB lobbying group?
CubsFan1060 6y ago
IMHO, targeted advertising is completely ok, as long as you know you're being targeted. I think most people can deduce that their actions on Facebook change their ads on Facebook. The problem is when you walk into an auto parts store, have to wait in line, so you play whatever the newest game is on your phone. The game figures out where you are via gps, reports that to facebook, and suddenly you're getting car part ads on facebook. This is not clear to most people. And I'd even say this behavior is just fine if you opt-in to it. And it gets worse. You have a friend in your contacts list (which you shared with Facebook for some reason). Facebook thinks that they probably share the same interests as you, so now THEY are getting auto parts ads. At least for me, as long as this is all clear and accepted, I'm fine with it. As of now, consumers either don't have a choice, or the choice they do have is so hidden that they don't know they have it.
Animats 6y ago
As much as we love to hate targeted advertising here on HN, it's a godsend to small businesses. It's become more of an extortion scheme. Ask a small business about Yelp.
- CyberDildonics 6y ago
  That is completely unrelated to this.
gpderetta 6y ago
> some people like it well, it is liked by the perpetrators, not the victims.

seibelj 6y ago

You have friends that actually spend their free time modifying their profile to make advertising easier? The fuck? Is this a psyop post from FB lobbying group?

CubsFan1060 6y ago

IMHO, targeted advertising is completely ok, as long as you know you're being targeted. I think most people can deduce that their actions on Facebook change their ads on Facebook. The problem is when you walk into an auto parts store, have to wait in line, so you play whatever the newest game is on your phone. The game figures out where you are via gps, reports that to facebook, and suddenly you're getting car part ads on facebook. This is not clear to most people. And I'd even say this behavior is just fine if you opt-in to it. And it gets worse. You have a friend in your contacts list (which you shared with Facebook for some reason). Facebook thinks that they probably share the same interests as you, so now THEY are getting auto parts ads. At least for me, as long as this is all clear and accepted, I'm fine with it. As of now, consumers either don't have a choice, or the choice they do have is so hidden that they don't know they have it.

Animats 6y ago

As much as we love to hate targeted advertising here on HN, it's a godsend to small businesses. It's become more of an extortion scheme. Ask a small business about Yelp.

CyberDildonics 6y ago
That is completely unrelated to this.

gpderetta 6y ago

> some people like it well, it is liked by the perpetrators, not the victims.