The debate over targeted political advertisement keeps dancing tantalizingly close to the eventual conclusion: NO ADVERTISEMENT SHOULD BE TARGETED ON PERSONAL INFORMATION!
Turning the facts of people's lives against them to more efficiently sell messages or products is both an inherent invasion of privacy, but also just a dystopian sinkhole. It's swallowing up industries like journalism and spitting out shit like Facebook.
The bulk of our trouble with hate speech, conspiracy theories, and all the other trash that we wade through on the internet is that targeted advertisement made it profitable! It's now possible to monetize engagement itself, regardless of what we engage with.
This is an utter disaster! It's why Facebook is structurally guaranteed to push trash, because trash is more engaging, enraging, and profitable. All the excuses just obscure the fact that the algorithm will feed you more of what's worst for you, exploiting your every weakness.
I have no greater hope for the internet than to see it shed this current yoke of targeted advertisement. It is the root of all evil. The foundation of all algorithmically promoted garbage. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you're sold.
This doesn't mean you can't advertise on the internet! If you want to reach people interested in fishing gear, just advertise on ThatsABigTrout.com. It'll actually reward quality, relevant content, rather than siphon off all the spoils to Google and Facebook.
Likewise, I don't mind seeing an ad for a new Toyota if I'm watching a show about cars on YouTube. That is not a violation of privacy! This is how the world of advertisement worked forever until very recently when targeted ads were invented.
"But I like relevant ads!" is a weird way of saying "I like that advertisers know where I live, what I like to eat, whether I'm pregnant, when I last went to Italy, which shitty shows I watch on TV, what creme I bought at CVS last, etc".
And here's the weird thing: I ACTUALLY KINDA LIKE SOME ADS! When I'm flicking through a magazine about watches, I LIKE TO SEE ADS ABOUT WATCHES. This isn't about being anti-commercial. Anonymous consumption can be a glorious thing.
