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This statement is just a perfect illustration of how manipulation has been normalized in our everyday lives. Your attention constantly being undermined for the

by boh 5y ago

This statement is just a perfect illustration of how manipulation has been normalized in our everyday lives. Your attention constantly being undermined for the benefit of perpetual awareness of consumer goods is just how things should be apparently. I guess if you're in the business of writing "really awesome code" to force people's attention into spending money you have to believe in advertising as a civil right or something but society as a whole doesn't have to agree with you.

BuyMyBitcoins 5y ago
I personally believe the vast majority of advertisements are nothing more than mental pollution. While there is a place and time for promotion, I feel like there should be spaces specifically designed for advertisements. I have no problem whatsoever with businesses trying to get my attention when I specifically look for some relevant service. I’m not talking about peppering my search results with interstitial content, but rather, going to a website designed to find and purchase products or to find services/contractors for hire.
- native_samples 5y ago
  Spaces like ... search engines, where you go and search specifically for the business you want? Are you arguing that only Google should be allowed to make money from advertising online?
  - tomjen3 5y ago
    That is not what he claimed at all, and you know that. One does not go to google to get ads, one goes to google to get results, which ads subtract from. GP was likely talking about a dedicated space, say ads or offers.com.
    - native_samples 5y ago
      No, lots of people absolutely go to Google to get ads. How many people do you think are looking for Wikipedia when they search for something like "flowers" and it's February 14th? This idea people seem to have here that nobody likes or ever needs/uses ads is just plain wrong. These businesses aren't the size they are because ads are useless noise.
      - timeon 5y ago
        Is it big deal to specify in your search what you want to do with the "flowers"?
        native_samples 5y ago
        Yes! Getting rid of the need to learn special syntaxes and awkward commands is a big part of why people use search so much. Again, I really cannot stress this enough. Nobody outside of the HN bubble thinks the way this works is a problem.
  - BuyMyBitcoins 5y ago
    I welcome them when I am on the Shopping tab of a search engine. Not so much in general queries.
    - native_samples 5y ago
      Lots of ads are for things that aren't appropriate for Shopping, e.g. most service businesses. So that wouldn't work. Universal search is a ship that sailed long ago my friend. People find it useful and Google has tons of metrics to back it up. It's not going away. Mixed mode search is just so much easier to use.
flyinglizard 5y ago
Society as a whole is employed by either the government, or companies that use advertising to generate cash and pay salaries; not sure which other system you are advocating.
- boh 5y ago
  It's interesting that employment is the only framing you're able to perceive this argument through. Even so, a total loss of privacy isn't a given within advertising itself (it's a fairly new phenomenon).

by boh 5y ago

BuyMyBitcoins 5y ago

I personally believe the vast majority of advertisements are nothing more than mental pollution. While there is a place and time for promotion, I feel like there should be spaces specifically designed for advertisements. I have no problem whatsoever with businesses trying to get my attention when I specifically look for some relevant service. I’m not talking about peppering my search results with interstitial content, but rather, going to a website designed to find and purchase products or to find services/contractors for hire.

native_samples 5y ago
Spaces like ... search engines, where you go and search specifically for the business you want? Are you arguing that only Google should be allowed to make money from advertising online?
- tomjen3 5y ago
  That is not what he claimed at all, and you know that. One does not go to google to get ads, one goes to google to get results, which ads subtract from. GP was likely talking about a dedicated space, say ads or offers.com.
  - native_samples 5y ago
    No, lots of people absolutely go to Google to get ads. How many people do you think are looking for Wikipedia when they search for something like "flowers" and it's February 14th? This idea people seem to have here that nobody likes or ever needs/uses ads is just plain wrong. These businesses aren't the size they are because ads are useless noise.
    - timeon 5y ago
      Is it big deal to specify in your search what you want to do with the "flowers"?
      - native_samples 5y ago
        Yes! Getting rid of the need to learn special syntaxes and awkward commands is a big part of why people use search so much. Again, I really cannot stress this enough. Nobody outside of the HN bubble thinks the way this works is a problem.
- BuyMyBitcoins 5y ago
  I welcome them when I am on the Shopping tab of a search engine. Not so much in general queries.
  - native_samples 5y ago
    Lots of ads are for things that aren't appropriate for Shopping, e.g. most service businesses. So that wouldn't work. Universal search is a ship that sailed long ago my friend. People find it useful and Google has tons of metrics to back it up. It's not going away. Mixed mode search is just so much easier to use.

flyinglizard 5y ago

Society as a whole is employed by either the government, or companies that use advertising to generate cash and pay salaries; not sure which other system you are advocating.

boh 5y ago
It's interesting that employment is the only framing you're able to perceive this argument through. Even so, a total loss of privacy isn't a given within advertising itself (it's a fairly new phenomenon).