How does encouraging people to buy Coke help the nation more than just giving that money directly to the public utilities?
Arguing against adtech and work are two separate things. Distribution of resources will always be controlled. Currency used to buy things is a method of directing resources to people who behave in a way that continues the system. What system do you think works better? I don't know what your goals are, maybe they are achievable without working for the man.
I am sure people could find something to do that was productive and fulfilling if they weren’t required to be debt slaves simply to put food on the table.
Manufacturing dietary diseases doesn’t seem to be productive or fulfilling to me. The idea that manufacturing soda is meaningful and productive use of peoples’ time is the broken window fallacy. That, or the very worst of fetishising GDP-as-a-measure-of-quality-of-life.
You don't need to push meaning to it's extreme to prove it's existence. It exists as it is. Soda is a good party drink and sweet drink for restaurants. People drink a few empty and sweet calories to refresh themselves and socialize. That's all it is, it's not a demon, it's not a saint. It's just fizzy water. It keeps many people at soda companies employed, it keeps many restaurants in profit.
Advertising soda is a fine way to have people put food on their table. If you want to productive and fulfilling work, go do it. You can't erase the fact that food is a limited resource that requires a system of distribution and we use money for allocating who and who can not obtain food. In a world where food were truly free and magically appeared out of thin air then there would be no starving people and you could do eat whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted.
You would still "wage slave" for a house, or running water, or whatever else. If you want to live a zero-cost life, build a log cabin in the woods and grow your own food, install your own solar panels. You will be doing the same work you're paying others to do right now but far less efficiently and with greater restrictions. You wouldn't have soda, or anything you couldn't manufacture yourself. But you would have control over the distribution of resources, there you go.
I think you're overestimating the average user's technical knowledge. The vast majority of people probably don't even know browsers have plugins.
But ads and branding are powerful tools in creating huge companies.
What happens without that ? maybe the sugary drinks industry starts looking like the craft beer industry.
Is that a bad thing ?
Don't get me wrong, I don't think soda is toxic or evil or that it should be taxed or banned. But in the context of a worldwide obesity trend, I would ban the commercials for it, or at least the ones targeting children.
I understand that buying soda keeps people employed. But it's also the perfect example of what's wrong in the current society.
Maybe we can find more worthwhile pursuits than selling sugared water.
Adtech has been used to sell copies of 1984 and A Brave New World. Something people arguably don't need to survive, and enjoy reading anyway.
Bill Hicks had a great bit on advertisers. I think the argument for adtech's potential for evil can be better articulated. After all, ublock origin, adblocking tech has millions of users. How effective could the brainwashing be if people are choosing to leave it?