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

submitted 1 month 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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[–] RoyaltyInTraining@lemmy.world 83 points 1 month ago (9 children)

The economy should exist to serve real needs of the people. All that advertisement does is create a fake desire for consumption which simply wastes respurces.

[–] Lyrl@lemm.ee 12 points 1 month ago (2 children)

There is some awareness effect, too. If I like burgers and see a listing for a new burger place in my neighborhood, learning about a potential new place I'd like to include in my going-out rotation feels like a win. If I need a home repair and see a neighbor with a yard sign for a local contractor, that's helpful in compiling a list of potential companies to check out.

[–] onnekas@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 month ago

It would be totally sufficient if those things are listed in search engines or maps. Not as ads for other searches but as actual results when you actually search for that stuff. If you like burgers it would be no problem for you to type "burger near me" into your favourite search engines once in a while if you feel like something new. Same for home repair etc.

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