Its common sense, its does not tell you anything about a companies ethics, it tricks people into supporting shit #1 they do not need. #2 support the most unethical and inhuman practices. #3 Lets companies dominate just on the basis of how much money they have to buy ads, rather then quality of their products or any concern about production chains or how local they are. #4 I think its even legal to lie and to say you are better then the competition is some countries in ads.
Ads appeal to the lowest of the low of human animalistic desires to buy the "cheapest" shit shipped all the way across the world while their neighbors struggle to make a living producing the same kind of product.
I totally agree, advertising is antisocial and unethical by definition.
That said: I don't think of "public information campaigns" as advertising, yet also I mention this specifically because I can see the poorly defined boundary between awareness and manipulation — most advertising feels to me like government propaganda, just from a different master, and propaganda can be information as well as disinformation.
I live in America and view every billboard I’m forced to see as anti-social. Many also obscure scenic views. If you drive through middle America, many are explicitly anti-social, encouraging you to join cults and deny women basic human rights.
Huge Rant about 20 somethings in hn that don't want the world to have ads.
Get off this internet. Go get a meetup, buy an island. build some buildings. build your own super anti-social internet on your island. View webpages made by your neighbors on the "east side" of the island.
oh, and stop using products that exist because advertising has allowed the funding to make them exist. or - just move to n korea.
Ads appeal to the lowest of the low of human animalistic desires to buy the "cheapest" shit shipped all the way across the world while their neighbors struggle to make a living producing the same kind of product.
I totally agree, advertising is antisocial and unethical by definition.