[blooalien]

> Ads aren't really the problem, either.

You're right. Ads are a different problem that just happens to finance this problem (and many others).

> Meet people in real life and spend time with them and form mutual relationships.

It's sad how hard that's gotten these days, what with so many folks havin' their faces glued to their little glass slab all the time. :(

[celeries]

Oh don't get me wrong, I agree. They are unreasonably effective, but I think that's in large part because people have lost touch with reality. People tend not to think very critically about ads.

[blooalien]

And I agree with you as well, but the "industry" has sure gotten mighty good at training people to not think critically about ads (or much anything else for that matter). It's really been turned into quite the "mass-propaganda" machine overall. :(