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I think it goes far beyond that. Silently tailoring experiences right down to the personal level compromises our shared understanding of reality and fractures s

by dTal 6y ago

I think it goes far beyond that. Silently tailoring experiences right down to the personal level compromises our shared understanding of reality and fractures society. I believe this kind of thing is responsible, in no small part, for the increased political tensions we see today. How can we have a democracy when everyone gets custom-made propaganda, and no one knows what's being whispered into anyone else's ear?

prox 6y ago
Exactly, what if this comment would change depending on who is reading it?
- HKH2 6y ago
  That could be a very good thing. Imagine a wiki page that skipped all the stuff you know and focused on things in your ZPD. You'd save a lot of time and have a much more positive view of learning.
thundergolfer 6y ago
We'd get situations like when Exxon sent one kind of ad messaging to left-leaning Facebook users ("we're fighting climate change!") and one to right-leaning Facebook users ("regulations bad!")[1]. Companies could have their products or services featured in a movie but set the context depending on some demographic feature of the viewer. And just like that you can give a positive impression of your company to two groups holding opposite positions. An example could be having the protagonist driving an electric eco-car in one version and a gas-guzzling 4WD in another; just make use of cheaper and cheaper CGI. 1. https://www.michaelwest.com.au/two-faced-facebook-how-the-digital-giant-lets-exxon-us-companies-talk-out-both-sides-of-their-mouths/ https://www.michaelwest.com.au/two-faced-facebook-how-the-di...
HKH2 6y ago
What shared understanding of reality? Does not fiction already fracture society?
- selfhoster11 6y ago
  Targeted advertising and dynamic ad swapping like in this article is, uncharitably put, an insidious form of gaslighting. In a world that already has problems with determining what is true, this type of a business is simply irresponsible and poison.
  - HKH2 6y ago
    If you're trying to determine what is true, you'd better avoid fiction altogether.
- dTal 6y ago
  Fiction is probably more damaging than we credit, when it persistently paints an inaccurate view of the world. But at least we all have the same access to fiction, and can therefore talk about aspects of it that might be wrong or damaging. But when someone tells some "fiction" to you and you alone, they'd better at least tell you they have done so - otherwise we call that a "lie".
  - HKH2 6y ago
    If they told you it's the original version, then that'd be a lie. Otherwise it'd be a lie just like all the other fictional verbal narratives that aren't prefaced with a warning.
ArkanExplorer 6y ago
Fracturing society is a feature, not a bug, of our current news landscape. It keeps people from thinking too hard, about things like Billionaires and members of Congress generating fortunes during a pandemic. No, I think this technology is much simpler. It means that product placement contracts can now generate annual recurring revenue, instead of once-off revenue. Movies and TV shows could be shot and distributed with exposed 'source code' (eg. visible green screens) which the client or local distribution network then seamlessly overlays with an appropriate brand. Advertisers can be rotated in and out depending on who pays the most, and multiple advertisers can be signed up based on a segmented viewer base to maximise revenue. Its also a long-term source of work for advertising agencies and video technicians, I guess.

by dTal 6y ago

prox 6y ago

Exactly, what if this comment would change depending on who is reading it?

HKH2 6y ago
That could be a very good thing. Imagine a wiki page that skipped all the stuff you know and focused on things in your ZPD. You'd save a lot of time and have a much more positive view of learning.

thundergolfer 6y ago

We'd get situations like when Exxon sent one kind of ad messaging to left-leaning Facebook users ("we're fighting climate change!") and one to right-leaning Facebook users ("regulations bad!")[1]. Companies could have their products or services featured in a movie but set the context depending on some demographic feature of the viewer. And just like that you can give a positive impression of your company to two groups holding opposite positions. An example could be having the protagonist driving an electric eco-car in one version and a gas-guzzling 4WD in another; just make use of cheaper and cheaper CGI. 1. https://www.michaelwest.com.au/two-faced-facebook-how-the-digital-giant-lets-exxon-us-companies-talk-out-both-sides-of-their-mouths/ https://www.michaelwest.com.au/two-faced-facebook-how-the-di...

HKH2 6y ago

What shared understanding of reality? Does not fiction already fracture society?

selfhoster11 6y ago
Targeted advertising and dynamic ad swapping like in this article is, uncharitably put, an insidious form of gaslighting. In a world that already has problems with determining what is true, this type of a business is simply irresponsible and poison.
- HKH2 6y ago
  If you're trying to determine what is true, you'd better avoid fiction altogether.
dTal 6y ago
Fiction is probably more damaging than we credit, when it persistently paints an inaccurate view of the world. But at least we all have the same access to fiction, and can therefore talk about aspects of it that might be wrong or damaging. But when someone tells some "fiction" to you and you alone, they'd better at least tell you they have done so - otherwise we call that a "lie".
- HKH2 6y ago
  If they told you it's the original version, then that'd be a lie. Otherwise it'd be a lie just like all the other fictional verbal narratives that aren't prefaced with a warning.

ArkanExplorer 6y ago

Fracturing society is a feature, not a bug, of our current news landscape. It keeps people from thinking too hard, about things like Billionaires and members of Congress generating fortunes during a pandemic. No, I think this technology is much simpler. It means that product placement contracts can now generate annual recurring revenue, instead of once-off revenue. Movies and TV shows could be shot and distributed with exposed 'source code' (eg. visible green screens) which the client or local distribution network then seamlessly overlays with an appropriate brand. Advertisers can be rotated in and out depending on who pays the most, and multiple advertisers can be signed up based on a segmented viewer base to maximise revenue. Its also a long-term source of work for advertising agencies and video technicians, I guess.