[burntoutcase]

While I'm glad that kids in Netflix-only households aren't getting bombarded with advertisements targeted at children the way kids my age were in the 1980s, I can't help but suspect that these ad-free kids need to be exposed to some advertising in an educational context so that they learn to recognize when somebody is trying to con them into buying shit they don't need and probably didn't want in the first place.

[bluetidepro]

> I can't help but suspect that these ad-free kids need to be exposed to some advertising in an educational context so that they learn to recognize when somebody is trying to con them into buying shit they don't need and probably didn't want in the first place.

It's not like they spend 24/7 on Netflix, they are probably getting bombed with ads more so than ever in history out in the real world. And even more so, probably even more aggressively than the commercials they are missing by using Netflix.

[balls187]

I grew up on a military base in a foreign country, and all the television was from the Armed Forces network. There were no commercials, just random PSA.

Occasionally teachers would get VHS tapes with recorded TV from the US, and we were more enthralled with the commercials than the programs themselves.

[michaelt]

Then you'll be pleased to learn adverts are also available online :)

[nordsieck]

> I can't help but suspect that these ad-free kids need to be exposed to some advertising in an educational context so that they learn to recognize when somebody is trying to con them into buying shit they don't need and probably didn't want in the first place.

Do you mean something like, the Internet?

Advertising is so pervasive, you'd probably have to do something drastic like Amish style technology banning to avoid it; even that may not be enough.

As a side note, even though Netflix doesn't have separate advertising, I'm sure there's at least product placement and other forms of advertising in their content.

[gibspaulding]

Ublock origin, Netflix, Spotify, and ditching mobile apps for social media will cut out a huge percentage of adds for most people.

Admittedly I haven't found a way around billboards, adds playing on gas pumps (though I try to avoid those gas stations), playing in stores, or the occasional sponsored link on some sites I visit, but compared to old TV or radio these are fairly painless.

[acheron]

Press (probably) the second button on the right at the gas station pump, it will mute the ad. Still plays the video but much easier to ignore.

For awhile this was apparently just a hidden feature, recently I saw one where the button was labeled.

[not_a_cop75]

Honestly, if you haven't seen the advertising now rampant in the new Netflix interface, then you haven't been paying attention. Everyday I'm bombarded with "ads" on Netflix for shows that my family wants no part of. Things that seem either offense at worst, or at best misguided as "positive" offerings are frequently shown.

[_bxg1]

As obnoxious as this is, it's still only promoting other shows on the same service you're already paying for. It isn't convincing your kid that they need you to buy them a hundred other products, or - more importantly - seeding them with the idea of constant consumerism as a lifestyle.

That said, I've made Hulu my default now specifically because of Netflix's pushy dark patterns.

[not_a_cop75]

I humbly disagree. I would state that the product being sold is the lifestyle being marketed. I don't have enough in common with the Baizuo to want to watch them, copy them or imitate them.

[_bxg1]

I can barely even parse what you're trying to express here. It seems far-removed from the topic at hand.

[not_a_cop75]

When you aren't being charged for something you are the product. And when you've being fed ads even when you're being charged, guess what?

You're still the product.

Pay for ads in product has come a long way since AOL.

[_bxg1]

But... Netflix... costs money?

[burntoutcase]

I've made secondhand optical media my fault because I'm sick of paying rent.

[awinder]

They learn / don't learn that skill from kidfluencers on YouTube. From what I've seen with my daughter that's a super-weaponized form of advertising compared to what I grew up in, anyone who survives Ryan and turns out halfway adjusted will have made it through a real crucible.

[r00fus]

Yeah, my kids crave youtube, but I won't let them watch it.

[burntoutcase]

> They learn / don't learn that skill from kidfluencers on YouTube.

Thanks for giving me a new excuse for being a misanthrope.

[awinder]

LOL! It really is something to behold, this article is a pretty good rundown in what’s going on (I would think I was making this up as some fringe thing, if I had not watched it first hand)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/01/business/media/social-med...

[bzbarsky]

For what it's worth, I distinctly remember that sometime in middle school we had a unit where exactly that happened: we were shown some ads, and there was various discussion about the way ads are created, the tricks they use, etc, etc. The "elmer's glue for milk in cereal ads" bit definitely stuck with me. ;)