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A comment on Google Is a Monopolist in Online Advertising Tech, Judge Says. Parent comment

Re:Google Is a Monopolist in Online Advertising Tech, Judge ... by greenchair on Thursday April 17, 2025 @04:34PM (#43721918)
I don't think relevant ads are healthy for the many people who do not have enough self-control to resist temptation. Ads are essentially playing mindgames triggering fear/jealousy on these people to steal their money. For the people who do have self-control, they don't need other people trying to tell them what to buy.
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Re:Google Is a Monopolist in Online Advertising Tech, Judge ... by dgoldstein0 on Thursday April 17, 2025 @06:19PM (#43722842)
That's a good argument against bad and exploitative ads.

Not all ads are necessarily bad. Eg have you ever seen an ad for an event in your town? Maybe a play or a concert you'd want to see. Those to me feel more like "public notice: thing is happening" and every once in a while I'll actually go buy tickets. But technically, those are ads, just not the kind of exploitative ad you are talking about.

A good ad informs, while leaving the decision up to you. A bad ad distracts you with garbage and/or tries to get you to indulge in your worse impulses

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Re:Google Is a Monopolist in Online Advertising Tech, Judge ... by viraptor on Thursday April 17, 2025 @07:04PM (#43723161)
> have you ever seen an ad for an event in your town?

I get those on the local town board, online in the town group I explicitly joined, and from people around. I do not want those on a random page when I'm trying to do something else.

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Re:Google Is a Monopolist in Online Advertising Tech, Judge ... by johannes1234321 on Thursday April 17, 2025 @08:35PM (#43723740)
Especially as the random page will be organized in a way to steer me towards the ad rather than the thing I want to do.
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Re:Google Is a Monopolist in Online Advertising Tech, Judge ... by astrange on Thursday April 17, 2025 @10:53PM (#43724521)
Every ad on Reddit is currently from "hims" and has the message that your hair will fall out and your dick will stop working if you don't take their pills.
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