Mildly Interesting

21331 readers

148 users here now

This is for strictly mildly interesting material. If it's too interesting, it doesn't belong. If it's not interesting, it doesn't belong.

This is obviously an objective criteria, so the mods are always right. Or maybe mildly right? Ahh.. what do we know?

Just post some stuff and don't spam.

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

marcar@lemmy.world

Jimbabwe@lemmy.ml

WhatsHerBucket@lemmy.world

1426

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

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

356 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] Soup@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (5 children)

I’ve found many wonderful products through advertising that I never would have otherwise. So many small businesses would have to be able to show off their products to new customers somehow.

It’s easy enough* to restrict advertising, there’s no need to throw the baby out with the bath water.

*we’ve done it before, we can do it again, and if we aren’t smart enough to figure it out then we deserve this bullshit honestly.

[–] cinnamonTea@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 months ago (4 children)

If you don't mind answering, what kind of advertising have you found products you now enjoy through?

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Okay so Lemmy, Jerboa, Phone, ISP all were found via advertising. So if I am enjoying this conversation, every facit of it came to my notice via advertising. Word out mouth and online discussions are advertising

[–] DisguisedJoker@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Word of mouth and discussions are not the kind of advertising being discussed in the article.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 months ago

That would make more sense, maybe the title saying making all advertising illegal is inaccurate then.

load more comments (1 replies)