Many temptations of an open-source Chrome extension developer

Re:Many temptations of an open-source Chrome extension devel... by munk-a on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @04:44PM (#37068124)

I am pretty convinced that modern advertising - from the most inane and innocent to tracking users 24/7 pretty clearly falls under evil. Gone are the days of advertising trying to raise product awareness and convert purchases - that field now exists to create demand. It induces desires in the recipients that play on psychological factors like FOMO to create customers out of thin air - and that process causes we the consumer to pay a constant attention tax and suffer higher levels of stress in our daily lives.

Advertising is evil.

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Re:Many temptations of an open-source Chrome extension devel... by andrepd on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @05:01PM (#37068345)

I'm not a radical about many subjects, but I'm certainly radically anti-advertising.

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Re:Many temptations of an open-source Chrome extension devel... by iraqmtpizza on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @06:11PM (#37069120)

Advertising is nudge theory without the do-gooder mystique

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Re:Many temptations of an open-source Chrome extension devel... by sublinear on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @06:55PM (#37069493)

You do realize all forms of media embed advertising directly into the content going right back to the beginning, right? There's nothing modern about it. Showing you a product when you actually want to see it is the most effective way to induce demand. All your favorite shows, movies, youtube personalities, etc. still do this.

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Re:Many temptations of an open-source Chrome extension devel... by scarface_74 on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @07:37PM (#37069872)

Well, seeing that:

- I use ad blockers for my browser on both mobile and PC

- pay for the ad free version of all of my streaming providers

- don’t use apps that have ads and don’t have a method to pay to get rid of them

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Re:Many temptations of an open-source Chrome extension devel... by dylan604 on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @08:10PM (#37070127)

If you think that the product that the lead actor in the series your marathoning through on your streaming provider isn't there on purpose, then you've just not been paying attention. There's a reason shows blur out logos on people's clothing or the crew covers them up with grip tape, or set dressers turn the cans/bottles/boxes of products around so the main logos are not visible. Even having copyrighted posters on the wall in frame can cause licensing issues.

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Re:Many temptations of an open-source Chrome extension devel... by gremlinunderway on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @08:30PM (#37070274)

This isn't true. Originally advertising was designed around the premise of explicitly highlighting utility and functionality of goods/content. It wasn't until Bernays came along and adapted his uncle Sigmund Freud's theories into practice by designing advertising to manipulate people into believing that they actually need the product.

Modern advertising is not just "showing a product to induce demand". Car adverts don't just highlight functionality, they use mass market analytics to play emotionally driven messaging and visuals so that you associate that feeling with the car ad.

Do you know what Bernays called what services he offered before the word got tarnished?

Propaganda.

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Re:Many temptations of an open-source Chrome extension devel... by c23gooey on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @08:46PM (#37070396)

The documentary "Century of Self" by Adam Curtis [0] certainly opened my eyes to the damage that Bernays has inflicted on society in general.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ3RzGoQC4s

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Re:Many temptations of an open-source Chrome extension devel... by anjel on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @09:29PM (#37070747)

Same. Filed under haunting things you can never unknow.

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Re:Many temptations of an open-source Chrome extension devel... by jakeogh on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @11:26PM (#37071567)

Two years after the 'Century Of Self', Adam released 'The Power Of Nightmares' (2004): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK3wz-OyR1U

It explores the power fear has to shape behavior.

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Re:Many temptations of an open-source Chrome extension devel... by stOneskull on Wednesday August 09, 2023 @09:40PM (#37070852)

> Bernays came along and adapted his uncle Sigmund

and then bernays' nephew started netflix

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