Got this notification when I opened Chrome when coming back to my desk after lunch.

“We changed our privacy settings to allow us to snoop on what you’re looking at and shove you ads accordingly. Feel free to opt out, but we’ll probably opt you back in when you aren’t paying attention.”

  • BenVimes@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    I’m always a bit amused when these sites and apps say things like, “If you turn off ad personalization, the ads you see won’t be as useful to you.”

    My dude, I don’t think I’ve ever willingly clicked on an ad in my entire life. “Personalizing” them won’t change that.

    • southsamurai@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      I used to sometimes. When there was a simple, clean ad for something I was interested in, I would click through.

      Mind you, this was in an era when the internet amounted to strings and cans because I’m a fucking dinosaur. Since then, ads first went obnoxious and loud, then they got plastered everywhere, then they started being invasive.

      Fuck ads at this point. There’s nothing good in them for us at all.

      • danielbln@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I don’t know, ads were always dog shit. Yeah you had your static banners and what not, but I remember the popup wars from the 90s.

      • KIM_JONG_JUICEBOX
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        1 year ago

        In a way I kind of miss the old banner ads. Smack the monkey and win $1,000,000 or whatever it was. I swear I hit that monkey so many times.

        Now I can’t even read a page without pop up after pop up on top of the embedded ads in between every two sentence paragraph.

    • HughJanus
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      1 year ago

      Even if any of these companies were any good at ad targeting, I wouldn’t want “personalized” ads anyway cuz I’d just spend more money.

      • luciferofastora@discuss.online
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        1 year ago

        but but but but you’d get something good for it! You would never have missed it, but maybe you just didn’t know you wanted it? Come on, I’m sure consuming shit that will make you happy twice for two minutes each (once when clicking buy, once when getting and opening the package) will fill that hole in your soul! Spending money on stuff you don’t actually need is good!

        (That was sarcasm, if it wasn’t clear enough.)

      • JeffCraig@citizensgaming.com
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        1 year ago

        True. The only personalized ads I ever receive are for products I literally just purchased.

        I don’t know how there’s so much money in the ad space. It just seems like a huge waste.

        • HughJanus
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          1 year ago

          A lot of times people will visit a website for a product they’re interested in and may not immediately pull the trigger. When they see it later 3-4 more times, the chances of conversion are way higher.

          Google probably doesn’t really know if you purchased the product, and may not care, as you may want to purchase another.

          I’m sure it’s like gambling and microtransactions where the vast majority of income is derived from a small minority of people who aren’t bothered by the onslaught of ads shoved down their throats.

      • TheChargedCreeper864
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        1 year ago

        Used to think otherwise, that I was immune to the phenomenon that you’re describing. But then the other day I realised my shoes were hurting my feet. I was seriously considering buying shoe inserts (if that’s their English name), even had the brand in mind, until I realised what was happening.

        I’ve seen ads for this brand on tv like a decade ago. Before that, I honestly had no clue such things existed, I’d seen them in a store like, twice. Never seen anything related to them ever since. Literally forgot about them until I felt the slightest urge to buy them. I was really taken aback when I realised what had happened in my “advertising-immune” mind

      • irmoz@reddthat.com
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        1 year ago

        It isn’t one or the other. They’re trying to both persuade you and develop brand awareness. But they’ll settle for brand awareness.

    • d3Xt3r@lemmy.nz
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      1 year ago

      I used to click on ads back in the day when you’d get paid for it (I was a poor school student, don’t judge. :p).

        • LoreleiSankTheShip
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          1 year ago

          I’m not sure this applies to stuff like ads. Like, if you always prioritize foss and ethically sourced products, ads can’t really persuade you to buy certain things. And you make those decisions by doing research and buying local, or even better, making as much stuff as you can yourself.

          • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works
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            1 year ago

            Or you could just hate shopping. I hate it all, online, in store. I end up doing way too much research and it’s too mentally taxing. I buy a phone like once every 7 years because the stress of just shopping for it is annoying, not to mention the actual process of switching.

            I really need to buy clothes again… but that’s like my least favorite thing to shop for…

            • LoreleiSankTheShip
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              1 year ago

              Oh, I totally get you! I hate shopping as well, even though it’s a necessity. In fact, I dislike it so much that I’m actually learning to make my own clothes. I realise this isn’t for everyone and that not everybody has the time, but I’m sure there’s stuff that you can do on your own that you may actually enjoy!

              Have a nice day!

              • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works
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                1 year ago

                That’s cool! I am guessing you’re female? Women’s clothes seems to be easier to make in my experience. Making a pair of men’s pants was a challenge, the materials were expensive and they didn’t even come out that great, and I almost never wear them.

                A sundress is like 10x easier to sew than a pair of pants.

          • archomrade [he/him]@midwest.social
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            1 year ago

            Targeted ads are designed to make you feel inadequate or incomplete. Even if it doesn’t convince you to buy the product advertised, it can still shift your expectations and world-view just by normalizing a certain type of consumption (or attitude, or media, ect).

            Just because you don’t spend money, doesn’t mean ads aren’t still subtly manipulating your expectations.

            It is a trillion dollar a year industry for a reason.

            • NoGodsNoMasters [they/them, she/her]@hexbear.net
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              1 year ago

              It also just lets you know the product exists or reminds you of it while strengthening certain associations in your brain. I know I can’t think of VPNs without thinking of NordVPN and if I were to decide I want one, I don’t think there would be a chance it didn’t at least occur to me to maybe look into

              • archomrade [he/him]@midwest.social
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                1 year ago

                And you almost certainly leave thinking you aren’t being careful enough with your privacy and you should look into getting a VPN. Works the same with any ad, or even a promoted social media post. “You’ll like this thing because of how we know you think of yourself.”

                It’s pernicious and erodes everyone’s ability to be happy and content, no matter how resistant you think you are to advertisements.

    • ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I don’t think I’ve ever willingly clicked on an ad in my entire life

      Same here and I’ve certainly never purchased anything through an ad. You’d think there’d be some advantage for advertising networks to identify people (there are dozens of us!) who never click on ads and refrain from serving any to them - and use this as a selling point for ad buyers so that their expenditures are not wasted.

      • CalcProgrammer1
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        1 year ago

        Just because you don’t click on an ad doesn’t mean it didn’t work though. If you see an ad for Coke you may not click on it to order a case of Coke online right away, but when you go out to lunch maybe you’ll fill your cup with Coke.

        I mention food ads because I feel they are particularly effective for this type of behavior. You don’t need to click on a food ad, but I know I’ve had a craving for a certain restaurant or food from seeing it mentioned online (whether an ad or just a comment/post) and then gone to get that food for dinner.

        Of course, this type of ad result is very difficult to track.

    • Vilian@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      it’s not about your clicks, it’s to influence you, it can influence people in multiple degree, maybe next type when you go buy something think about it

    • ChamrsDeluxe@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Only did it once. The Rest EverCool comforter ad I kept seeing. Looked up a bunch of reviews and as someone who is a very hot sleeper. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s the softest coolest blanket I’ve ever felt. Every square inch is as cool as the other side of the pillow.

      • krush_groove@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Upvoted for saying the phrase “as cool as the other side of the pillow”. Heard that once when someone was talking about a sports commentator and haven’t forgotten it in probably 35 years at least.

        • ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          ESPN’s Stuart Scott used this as his catchphrase starting in the mid-'90s, so not quite 35 years (but damn close). Like all ESPN catchphrases, it was clever and funny the first time, not so much the next 5000 times.

    • lukini@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      Ads work on the general population or else these companies would stop paying for them.

    • Salix@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      The only time I click on ads are on websites that actually have people buying ad space on websites that make sense.

      Like… Fountain pen ads on fountain pen blogs. Or Linux product ads on Linux learning websites.

    • Landrin201
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      1 year ago

      Basically the only times I click on ads is when I’m searching for something and the search engine I’m using has paid ads for the thing I’m searching for at the top.

      Beyond that I can’t think of any times I’ve ever clicked on an ad intentionally.