5 ms·

Exactly, and I personally don't see anything wrong with this approach. You can't offer a free service if you can't make money from it somehow.

contravariant 3y ago
Though it'd be interesting to see what wins out, whether people are really willing to pay Facebook enough to replace the ad funds, or if something else wins out. To some extent easy ad revenue has given some of these companies a version of Dutch disease, if this revenue falls away for whatever reason they'll need to win out in features or efficiency. Given that I'd be happy if facebook vanished from the face of the earth and that their website is the definition of bloat I'd say they're not doing too well in that regard.
latexr 3y ago
They could still show ads without all the invasiveness. For example: advertisers could pay to place ads in specific Facebook groups and they would show to people visiting those pages. Like it has been done for decades in magazines and other physical media. The internet did not invent advertising.
- geek_at 3y ago
  exactly and even if they didn't take "personalized data" into account, they can still serve you ads based on pages/profiles you liked
  - Zanni 3y ago
    That's exactly what's being banned. Pages and profiles you like (along with other personal data) is what drives "behavioral advertising."
- adrr 3y ago
  They don't work effectively if they aren't targeted on who you are. It would be like TV ads. Biggest example is the IOS privacy which has hit whole industry in terms of marketing effectiveness and cost.
  - fsflover 3y ago
    Any reference proving this?
    - adrr 3y ago
      FB earnings or any earnings from any company that is heavily dependent on performance marketing. And for small businesses. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/08/small-businesses-count-cost-of-apples-privacy-changes/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/08/small-businesses-cou...
      - fsflover 3y ago
        But did they compare their earning to those with non-tracking, contextual ads?
- justapassenger 3y ago
  There’s a reason why magazines ads are dying and being replaced by personalized ads. Advertising like that is widely inefficient. It’s easy to show ads. Not that easy to make money from doing so. It’s as valid alternative as telling people to use horses instead of cars to reduce CO2 emissions. They both get from point A to B, right?
  - polygamous_bat 3y ago
    > There’s a reason why magazines ads are dying and being replaced by personalized ads. Advertising like that is widely inefficient. Too bad, if your business model can’t make money without breaking laws and harming people’s rights, do you really deserve to stay in business? > It’s as valid alternative as telling people to use horses instead of cars to reduce CO2 emissions. They both get from point A to B, right? More like banning formula 1 cars from suburbs. People survived before without personalized ads, what will not survive is making 10-digits of profit every quarter and the associated butchery of our life and institutions in the pursuit of profit.
    - foota 3y ago
      When you're debating the merits of the law in question, it doesn't seem like a valid defense to say "if they can't do business under the law then that's their fault". If I say "car dealers can't sell cars that go faster than 10mph and if they go out of business then they shouldn't exist", it's clearly fallacious, and I don't see how this is any different.
      - kaftoy 3y ago
        It is different. Rules and laws are supposed to make sense, but the one with 10 mph is not. There are limita to 250 kph in Europe and I dont see car dealers going down. Also, for years there are emissions regulators that make life hard for auto makers, but they obey and still sell cars.
        shaftway 3y ago
- elorant 3y ago
  Magazines have context though. You buy an art magazine, you'll see a Mercedes ad because it's likely that people who're interested in art make more than average. Facebook without tracking has no context whatsoever, aside from Groups and that's debatable.
  - thepangolino 3y ago
    [dead]
beejiu 3y ago
The problem is the network effect dissolves. There's no point being on Facebook if 80% of your friends leave because they don't want to pay for it.
- bmicraft 3y ago
  Facebook doesn't have an inherent right to be profitable in Europe. If the people have decided that through their vote (even if indirectly), then it is what it is and facebook can pull out of that market.

contravariant 3y ago

Though it'd be interesting to see what wins out, whether people are really willing to pay Facebook enough to replace the ad funds, or if something else wins out. To some extent easy ad revenue has given some of these companies a version of Dutch disease, if this revenue falls away for whatever reason they'll need to win out in features or efficiency. Given that I'd be happy if facebook vanished from the face of the earth and that their website is the definition of bloat I'd say they're not doing too well in that regard.

latexr 3y ago

They could still show ads without all the invasiveness. For example: advertisers could pay to place ads in specific Facebook groups and they would show to people visiting those pages. Like it has been done for decades in magazines and other physical media. The internet did not invent advertising.

geek_at 3y ago
exactly and even if they didn't take "personalized data" into account, they can still serve you ads based on pages/profiles you liked
- Zanni 3y ago
  That's exactly what's being banned. Pages and profiles you like (along with other personal data) is what drives "behavioral advertising."
adrr 3y ago
They don't work effectively if they aren't targeted on who you are. It would be like TV ads. Biggest example is the IOS privacy which has hit whole industry in terms of marketing effectiveness and cost.
- fsflover 3y ago
  Any reference proving this?
  - adrr 3y ago
    FB earnings or any earnings from any company that is heavily dependent on performance marketing. And for small businesses. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/08/small-businesses-count-cost-of-apples-privacy-changes/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/08/small-businesses-cou...
    - fsflover 3y ago
      But did they compare their earning to those with non-tracking, contextual ads?
justapassenger 3y ago
There’s a reason why magazines ads are dying and being replaced by personalized ads. Advertising like that is widely inefficient. It’s easy to show ads. Not that easy to make money from doing so. It’s as valid alternative as telling people to use horses instead of cars to reduce CO2 emissions. They both get from point A to B, right?
- polygamous_bat 3y ago
  > There’s a reason why magazines ads are dying and being replaced by personalized ads. Advertising like that is widely inefficient. Too bad, if your business model can’t make money without breaking laws and harming people’s rights, do you really deserve to stay in business? > It’s as valid alternative as telling people to use horses instead of cars to reduce CO2 emissions. They both get from point A to B, right? More like banning formula 1 cars from suburbs. People survived before without personalized ads, what will not survive is making 10-digits of profit every quarter and the associated butchery of our life and institutions in the pursuit of profit.
  - foota 3y ago
    When you're debating the merits of the law in question, it doesn't seem like a valid defense to say "if they can't do business under the law then that's their fault". If I say "car dealers can't sell cars that go faster than 10mph and if they go out of business then they shouldn't exist", it's clearly fallacious, and I don't see how this is any different.
    - kaftoy 3y ago
      It is different. Rules and laws are supposed to make sense, but the one with 10 mph is not. There are limita to 250 kph in Europe and I dont see car dealers going down. Also, for years there are emissions regulators that make life hard for auto makers, but they obey and still sell cars.
      - shaftway 3y ago
elorant 3y ago
Magazines have context though. You buy an art magazine, you'll see a Mercedes ad because it's likely that people who're interested in art make more than average. Facebook without tracking has no context whatsoever, aside from Groups and that's debatable.
- thepangolino 3y ago
  [dead]

beejiu 3y ago

The problem is the network effect dissolves. There's no point being on Facebook if 80% of your friends leave because they don't want to pay for it.

bmicraft 3y ago
Facebook doesn't have an inherent right to be profitable in Europe. If the people have decided that through their vote (even if indirectly), then it is what it is and facebook can pull out of that market.