Re:Lawmakers Ask Zuck to Drop 'Instagram for Kids' Since App...
by TeMPOraL on Thursday September 16, 2021 @06:06AM
(#28549853)
Agreed. And perhaps if we call them "optimized" instead of "targeted", this becomes more obvious.
The goal of the advertiser isn't to create a win-win situation, where you get just the right ad at the right time, for a good deal on what you actually need. That would be nice, but it's leaving money on the table - and the goal of the advertiser is to make money. So the ads get optimized further: a better ad is one that gets you to buy something regardless of whether you need it, on a deal that's as bad for you as possible without burning you as a future customer[0].
--
[0] - Which does not imply the deal isn't absolutely shitty. There are ways to guarantee you'll buy again, no matter how much you hate it. See e.g. the telecom industry - there's only few players on the market, and they're all equally shitty, and it doesn't matter because people need phone service, and those abandoning telco A in anger are offset by those flocking to A from the other telcos.
The goal of the advertiser isn't to create a win-win situation, where you get just the right ad at the right time, for a good deal on what you actually need. That would be nice, but it's leaving money on the table - and the goal of the advertiser is to make money. So the ads get optimized further: a better ad is one that gets you to buy something regardless of whether you need it, on a deal that's as bad for you as possible without burning you as a future customer[0].
--
[0] - Which does not imply the deal isn't absolutely shitty. There are ways to guarantee you'll buy again, no matter how much you hate it. See e.g. the telecom industry - there's only few players on the market, and they're all equally shitty, and it doesn't matter because people need phone service, and those abandoning telco A in anger are offset by those flocking to A from the other telcos.