4 ms·

Yes it is, it preloads the viewer with ideas the advertiser tells them, in an effort to get them to buy something. That means they're trying to take resources

Yes it is, it preloads the viewer with ideas the advertiser tells them, in an effort to get them to buy something. That means they're trying to take resources from other people and profit. That's where the ethics fall to pieces.

endisneigh 3y ago
that's not what advertising is. advertisements are promotions. promotions do not inherently involve purchasing something. simplest counter example to your point is an ad saying that you can get something for free without any purchase required. definitionally no harm could come from someone who took the offer.
- JohnFen 3y ago
  > definitionally no harm could come from someone who took the offer. Such offers are usually sneaky ways to collect personal information. Whether or not you consider that "harm" depends on your worldview, but a lot of people do.
  - endisneigh 3y ago
    there are plenty of offers like that do not require you to give any personal information at all. go into any Costco and there are promotions for free samples. you can take them without even talking to the attendant. it's obviously an advertisement. idk why people bother saying things easily proven to be false. it is true that some advertising is harmful, yes. it is not the case that advertising in general is inherently harmful. it only requires a single counter example to prove false.
    - JohnFen 3y ago
      > it is not the case that advertising in general is inherently harmful. I never claimed that it was. But harmful/deceptive marketing is quite common. A decent rule of thumb is to consider all of it suspect.
- 93po 3y ago
  That is 100% an ad. If it wasn't useful for advertising purposes why would the company do it? They also do it with the incentive to get you in the store and buying a bunch of stuff that isn't free. And if nothing else it's building brand recognition.

4 ms·

Yes it is, it preloads the viewer with ideas the advertiser tells them, in an effort to get them to buy something. That means they're trying to take resources

by zlg_codes 3y ago

endisneigh 3y ago
that's not what advertising is. advertisements are promotions. promotions do not inherently involve purchasing something. simplest counter example to your point is an ad saying that you can get something for free without any purchase required. definitionally no harm could come from someone who took the offer.
- JohnFen 3y ago
  > definitionally no harm could come from someone who took the offer. Such offers are usually sneaky ways to collect personal information. Whether or not you consider that "harm" depends on your worldview, but a lot of people do.
  - endisneigh 3y ago
    there are plenty of offers like that do not require you to give any personal information at all. go into any Costco and there are promotions for free samples. you can take them without even talking to the attendant. it's obviously an advertisement. idk why people bother saying things easily proven to be false. it is true that some advertising is harmful, yes. it is not the case that advertising in general is inherently harmful. it only requires a single counter example to prove false.
    - JohnFen 3y ago
      > it is not the case that advertising in general is inherently harmful. I never claimed that it was. But harmful/deceptive marketing is quite common. A decent rule of thumb is to consider all of it suspect.
- 93po 3y ago
  That is 100% an ad. If it wasn't useful for advertising purposes why would the company do it? They also do it with the incentive to get you in the store and buying a bunch of stuff that isn't free. And if nothing else it's building brand recognition.