zlacker

Former gambling addict and current mental health advocate here. For anyone with an addiction or a serious mental health problem, targeted advertising can be very dangerous.

Think about the “filter bubble” effect that we experience on platforms like YouTube where we are always being “recommended” content that confirms our pre-existing beliefs.

Targeted advertising is no different except that it follows you across multiple devices and multiple online platforms in order to sell your attention to the highest bidder.

This might be fine if you are a capable, healthy and intelligent individual seeing ads for computer parts or shoes. What about the recovering alcoholic who is being “targeted” by alcohol advertising? Or the homeless schizophrenic girl I worked with a while ago who couldn’t escape a constant barrage of ads for highly addictive online gambling products?

Our brains are all wired differently and not everyone has the same level of “free will” as you do. The entire purpose of the advertising industry is to push you away from reasoned decision making and towards compulsive consumption.

As adtech becomes better at exploiting our psychological weaknesses and influencing human behaviour, I worry that we will not only see an increase in negative outcomes for the most vulnerable among us - but also an increase in mental illness among the general population as our borderline, compulsive and narcissistic traits are enabled and encouraged by soulless algorithms.

>>millsm+(OP)
Just to add to this; I've been sober for a number of years and I remember reading about how alcohol companies specifically target people in recovery. After reading this, the targeted ads on TV and in magazines became very apparent. Knowingly contributing to ruining people's lives.

>>mushbi+p1
I know for a fact this happens. Gambling companies often buy marketing data from porn websites and MLM schemes in order to better target people with “impulse control issues”.

Kudos to you for your recovery and sobriety!

>>millsm+(OP)
Your point is very convincing, but it would be great to first have a more quantifiable view (beyond anecdotal) on whats going on and second have an idea what to do about/against it. I still believe that the societal/collective memory will eventually find the best way to deal with these challenges. I hate the consensus (here on HN) that people are just too dumb to deal with it on their own and take responsibility for it.

>>Wander+55
I dislike that the burden of proof is put on the targets of this style of advertisement instead of on the companies themselves. There are plenty of studies on the impact of propaganda and advertisement on society and individuals. In the meantime I will continue to recommend the use of ad blockers and pi-hole.

>>millsm+(OP)
That sounds to me more like an argument for banning alcohol/gambling ads.

>>gizmon+Iy
What about ads for high-interest credit cards? What about ads for free-to-play video games? The list goes on...

>>Wowfun+pI
I don't understand the argument. If they're harmful enough, you ban them. If they are not, presumably you accept their existence? If you ban targeting instead, you just increase the cost of all ads, the ads from your list still reach those vulnerable individuals. This feels like an inefficient, weird and indirect tax?

>>millsm+(OP)
I agree, gambling and alcohol ads should be banned. I personally would never work on them. There are categories of vice products that the law treats differently in many mediums.

I don't see why the existence of alcohol should mean SaaS software companies shouldn't be able to reach their target market with ads.

>>millsm+N4
Thank you! It's not something I ever talk about, but it means a lot to hear, even from an internet stranger.