[qsera]

Advertisements actually run the world. Imagine a world without ads. The economy would grind to a halt. It is exploitation and manipulation, but that enables creation of large capital, which leads to great things. In the past it was pyramids and temples, and in modern times it is space exploration, scientific research and other things that require huge capital. Even the current advances in AI/LLMs are made possible by mass exploitation.

Without ads and exploitation of the masses, none of these would not be possible.

[bcjdjsndon]

> which leads to great things

Slavery (or getting poorer people to do the work for you) is the central concept of civilization. It cannot be done without it. It's not capital or advertising that makes all this work, it's forcing the poor to work and pay tax that makes the world go round d

[1865_1013_t]

Even if that is true, what you are saying is, essentially, that the ads-driven exploitative economy is a very expensive innovation engine.

It is then useful to ask: if innovation is what we want, do there exist engines that aren't quite as expensive?

If the market economy has more of a human face than outright slavery, there's no reason to believe that it's impossible to do better: a Copernican position would say that we'd be no more likely to be correct than an ancient Egyptian who claims it's impossible to do better than state slavery.

[qsera]

> do better than state slavery.

The point is the exploitation of the masses and the ensuing concentration of wealth is the enabler. Sure we might find a way to do that without Ads...

[yunwal]

> pyramids

The pyramids were not built by slaves, and while we can waffle around about "all labor is exploitative to some extent", it doesn't take exploitation-maxxing to drive great achievements. Most great modern achievements are driven by a desire for self-actualization or recognition, not survival.

https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/were-the-egyptian-pyram...

[constantius]

This reads like the mental hoops someone who works for or invests into Meta comes up with to resolve their cognitive dissonance.

You might as well have said that without advertising, we wouldn't have charities, freedom of thought, and literature: the argument is as strong and might make you feel even better about yourself.

Oh, turns out that you did say that advertising solved slavery in another comment. Carry on, mate.

[qsera]

I hate ads of all kinds and I hate targeted manipulations of all kinds.

But that does not stop me from recognizing the part it plays in the world. That shouldn't stop you either.

> we wouldn't have charities, freedom of thought, and literature:

Does great literature require huge capital?

[fnoef]

Please tell me how ads help science research or why should I care about space exploration or LLMs that threaten me and hundreds of thousands of other peoples jobs?

[jurgenburgen]

Can’t tell if this is satirical or serious. Those ancient wonders were enabled by slave labor, treating people as “capital” is the ultimate climax of capitalism.

[yunwal]

> Those ancient wonders were enabled by slave labor

This is not true of the Pyramids

https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/were-the-egyptian-pyram...

[qsera]

Not sure what you find funny about it.

>Those ancient wonders were enabled by slave labor

That is exactly the point.

[jurgenburgen]

Sorry, should have said parody. Don’t find it funny. I guess Poe’s law applies.