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What If We Made Advertising Illegal? (simone.org)

submitted 2 weeks ago by sundrei@lemmy.sdf.org to c/mildlyinteresting@lemmy.world

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The idea feels like sci-fi because you're so used to it, imagining ads gone feels like asking to outlaw gravity. But humanity had been free of current forms of advertising for 99.9% of its existence. Word-of-mouth and community networks worked just fine. First-party websites and online communities would now improve on that.

The traditional argument pro-advertising—that it provides consumers with necessary information—hasn't been valid for decades.

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[–] Skellysgirl@lemm.ee 14 points 2 weeks ago

Interesting concept. Over the last few decades we have seen cigarettes/vapes alcohol, small plastics etc come under scrutiny as they harm people’s health. But there are physical objects that harm physical health.

Advertising is much more subjective I tend of what constitutes harm, and mental health is again still on the back foot compared to body health.

In some places we have seen bans on cigarette adverting and even bans on cigarettes. So at a small scale it can be implemented.

I loved ads as a kid. It shaped my career, but it’s an out of control monster that needs looking at. I am growing to hate it.