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My primary problem with this article is that the author assumes that consumers get no value from ads. While the author may not personally like ads, it is undeni

My primary problem with this article is that the author assumes that consumers get no value from ads. While the author may not personally like ads, it is undeniable that thousands to tens of thousands of consumer brands (the same ones who are now suffering with iOS 14.5 changes) now exist as a result of Facebook’s distribution. These brands mostly would have failed in a pre-FB-ads world. The idea that there is zero consumer value from Facebook ads or ads in general is absurd. There is a real cost to disabling tracking and blocking ads, it’s just often not borne immediately, or in a directly measurable way. Also, while I understand the general aversion to tracking. If one believes that any advertiser cares about tracking their behavior individualy - rather than in aggregate - they are suffering from delusions of grandeur.

rideontime 5y ago
Did you miss yesterday's post about the gay priest being outed by his advertising data? It's not just advertisers that have access to that data.
Nextgrid 5y ago
> If one believes that any advertiser cares about tracking their behavior individualy - rather than in aggregate - they are suffering from delusions of grandeur. Maybe advertisers themselves don't care about tracking people individually, but the advertising industry builds & funds a tracking infrastructure that can be (and sometimes is) co-opted into tracking people by other nefarious actors, whether private or state-sponsored.
mattacular 5y ago
> These brands mostly would have failed in a pre-FB-ads world. Perhaps they should have.
soco 5y ago
If you define those brands as being the consumers, then yes, I guess, if they say so (did we ask them?). But I as a person get absolutely no value from those ad networks. Zero.
- jamiequint 5y ago
  Someone is getting value from seeing ads for those brands, or they wouldn’t keep advertising on Facebook. If you are getting no value and don’t like the value exchange, well, nobody is forcing you to use Facebook.
s17n 5y ago
There are plenty of legit arguments against ads, here are a few options: - Ads create desire, which is then possibly sated by a purchase. The net increase in happiness is negative. - Brand advertising is clearly a zero sum game which creates no value - Even if ads can create value, it doesn't make up for the bad things about them

rideontime 5y ago

Did you miss yesterday's post about the gay priest being outed by his advertising data? It's not just advertisers that have access to that data.

Nextgrid 5y ago

> If one believes that any advertiser cares about tracking their behavior individualy - rather than in aggregate - they are suffering from delusions of grandeur. Maybe advertisers themselves don't care about tracking people individually, but the advertising industry builds & funds a tracking infrastructure that can be (and sometimes is) co-opted into tracking people by other nefarious actors, whether private or state-sponsored.

mattacular 5y ago

> These brands mostly would have failed in a pre-FB-ads world. Perhaps they should have.

soco 5y ago

If you define those brands as being the consumers, then yes, I guess, if they say so (did we ask them?). But I as a person get absolutely no value from those ad networks. Zero.

jamiequint 5y ago
Someone is getting value from seeing ads for those brands, or they wouldn’t keep advertising on Facebook. If you are getting no value and don’t like the value exchange, well, nobody is forcing you to use Facebook.

s17n 5y ago

There are plenty of legit arguments against ads, here are a few options: - Ads create desire, which is then possibly sated by a purchase. The net increase in happiness is negative. - Brand advertising is clearly a zero sum game which creates no value - Even if ads can create value, it doesn't make up for the bad things about them