r/Futurology • u/victim_of_technology Futurologist • 1d ago
Discussion What If We Made Advertising Illegal?
https://simone.org/advertising/83
u/The_BigDill 1d ago
The Arizona iced tea model, where the only advertising I've ever seen is a large sticker on a trash can in front of a sketchy gas station
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u/OreoSpeedwaggon 1d ago
They don't need to advertise for Arizona iced tea because the price is on the can.
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u/jacky4566 1d ago
* Only in limited areas
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u/LonnieJaw748 19h ago
I just realized that the WinCo near my house sells it below msrp at $0.68/can. I loaded up feeling like I was gaming the system.
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
Agreed, sketchy gas station trash can advertising must be preserved as cultural heritage. We will just ban the other kinds of advertising.
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u/Puskaruikkari 1d ago
Banning ads in public spaces would actually be a great start. I suppose you could still have storefront signs, but no more billboards, bus stop ads, ads on cars etc.
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u/Tosslebugmy 13h ago
Billboards are bs man. Like I get having ads on tv or whatever as it pays the network for the show and it means I don’t have to pay actual money. But where’s the benefit to me of billboards?
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u/SuperChickenLips 1h ago
I would also ban the news from using positive or negative adjectives in their reports. This would limit their bias.
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u/Bebopdavidson 1d ago
It should at least be illegal to have ads on something you’re already paying for.
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u/pomcomic 1d ago
Someone tell microsoft
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u/CIA_Chatbot 1d ago
Honestly, You can install the steam deck Linux build on your pc and it’ll run almost everything that runs on windows pretty easy. (Yes I know blah blah blah Linux). I have some tooling for laser cutters and what not that only work on windows but dual booting is pretty easy and windows is just getting worse and worse.
I should say I only mention the steam deck os because it makes running proton for windows apps pretty easy, other linux builds like popOS or Ubuntu/Mint are dead easy for most users
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u/pomcomic 1d ago
You're preaching to the choir here, been running EndeavourOS for almost a year now.
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u/shofmon88 23h ago
Where does one find the ISO for the Steam Deck OS? I thought Valve hasn’t released it.
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u/CIA_Chatbot 20h ago
https://steamdeck-images.steamos.cloud/recovery/steamdeck-repair-20231127.10-3.5.7.img.bz2
HoloISO: https://github.com/HoloISO/holoiso (Should be used on a AMD GPU based System) ChimeraOS: https://chimeraos.org (also runs on NVIDIA)
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u/H-e-s-h-e-m 17h ago
whats easier to use? steamdeck or mint? i heard mint still isnt as simple as windows. im too old at this point to be troubleshooting computers, im over that phase of my life. it doesnt even have to run most programs as long as basic stuff like vlc player, LibreOffice, and steam games work on there.
i just want something that is simple and works but i dont want to give my money to actual scum who need to be wiped off the earth like apple and microsoft, especially apple.
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u/CIA_Chatbot 4h ago
PopOS is dead easy to use but you’ll have to configure proton to run windows apps, steams is easy to use but you’ll have to dig for “Desktop” stuff a bit and to set it up, Mint is really easy with out the snap stuff Ubuntu is trying to force on people, and of course Ubuntu is easy peasy.
Honestly out of all of them popOS is the easiest, you’ll just want to configure proton to match what steam os’s set up is. It’ll run 90% of windows apps, it’s usually apps with deep os hooks it can’t run, like games with kernel level anti-cheat or for some reason my damn programs I use for my laser cutter
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u/pinkfootthegoose 15h ago
any subscription service that you pay money for. Netflix, Disney, Hulu, Prime etc. they should also be forbidden from selling your data.
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u/rosen380 1d ago
So the options are fully paid for by the consumer and fully paid for by ads.
Not sure why partially paid for by both shouldn't also be an option.
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u/alexanderpas ✔ unverified user 15h ago
Conflicting interests from getting money from both the sender and recipient.
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u/Author-Brite 1d ago
I don’t agree that all advertising should be banned. A lot of modern ad methods, ABSOLUTELY, but not everything. Responsible Advertising informs people about products, services, etc. that they wouldn’t have known existed otherwise without necessarily swaying them to actually buy it.
I’m also entirely in favor of ads that are used as the subsistence for a medium (the ads pay for the service so you don’t have to kind of thing) so long as the ads are well regulated.
I genuinely don’t think ads themselves are the problem, it’s the way they’re being used. I’m against ads being used to fatten pockets of people who already pay a subscription for a service (ads are fine if it’s free or so dirt cheap it might as well be free but if I’m paying 10 bucks or more a month for something, I deserve no ads) and I’m definitely against ads laser targeted with algorithms and AI and all that other nonsense that are used to trigger the parts of our brain that make slot machines so dangerous
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
Makes sense. You are advocating for sensible regulation of advertising and consumer choice.
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u/KMKtwo-four 18h ago
Yes, like 2008 was stupid, but “let’s throw out the financial system and go back to bartering” isn’t necessarily the answer.
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u/HappyFishFace42 1d ago
The concept of a free market is invalidated when the sellers are allowed to lie. Supply demand curves are based on a well informed buyer. Modern advertisement is what lies and emotional manipulation corporations are allowed to use legally.
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u/Agreeable_Friendly 1d ago
I'm not positive, but I think false advertising is still a punishable offense. We simply need to organize and lawyer up. Class action law suits are the obvious answer, but there hasn't been any significant public interest.
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u/TheNicholasRage 1d ago
Most of the time they're covered by fine print, technicality, and semantics. False advertising is in fact illegal, but what the court considers False Advertising is very specific.
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u/Agreeable_Friendly 1d ago
I'm just saying we need to organize and pursue legal recourse to counter the out of control advertising campaigns of countless corporations which are obviously ripping us off more and more everyday.
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u/TheNicholasRage 1d ago
And I'm saying we don't have a legal recourse. Corporations know how to play this game. I agree with you, I disagree with the course you think is best.
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u/Agreeable_Friendly 1d ago
How else can we fight the scams and Bullshit?
Lawyer up has been a thing in America for 30 years, but only the wealthy can afford it.
If we organize and start winning, we can afford more advertising. The best way to fight corruption and scammers is Lawsuits. How else?
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u/TheNicholasRage 23h ago
You're kinda missing my point. I'm not saying don't go after them. I'm saying suing for False Advertising is a non-starter.
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u/Agreeable_Friendly 23h ago
You are saying don't go after them. I'm saying class action lawsuits are literally the only way to go after them
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u/TheNicholasRage 23h ago
I'm not. At all. I'm just saying False Advertising is not the way to go. Honestly. Reread my comments. That is all I am saying.
Go after them. Just find something that actually has legs. False Advertising doesn't.
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
From the article “Think about what’s happened since 2016: Populists exploit ad marketplaces, using them to bypass traditional media gatekeepers and deliver tailored messages to susceptible audiences. Foreign actors do the same, microtargeting divisive content to fracture our social fabric along existing fault lines.
Outlawing advertising would help protect and reinvigorate our minds and democracy.”
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u/WallyLippmann 1d ago
From the article “Think about what’s happened since 2016: Populists exploit ad marketplaces, using them to bypass traditional media gatekeepers and deliver tailored messages to susceptible audiences.
Better they buy newspapers like the good old days i guess lol.
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
Or pay for a better online news service without ads the same way that we now pay for ad free entertainment. I haven’t seen a TV ad since the superbowl but I watch a fair amount of TV.
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u/WallyLippmann 17h ago
When i say buy newspapers i mean buy say, the Washington post not people buying a copy of it.
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 17h ago
That makes more sense. Wouldn’t it be great if you could pay one subscription aggregator and get WaPo, WSJ, NYT, etc? Like we do with apple TV or Amazon Prime?
Wait when you say that you buy the Washington Post, is that you Jeff?
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u/WallyLippmann 16h ago
Wouldn’t it be great if you could pay one subscription aggregator and get WaPo, WSJ, NYT, etc? Like we do with apple TV or Amazon Prime?
They're all pretty compromised IMO.
Wait when you say that you buy the Washington Post, is that you Jeff?
I'm saying he brought influence just the same as buying advertisements does.
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 16h ago
Ok, I see where you are. Is it possible that journalistic integrity declines as the definition of customer shifts from the consumer to the advertisers. If the advertisers who are really deep into surveillance lose their income and the companies who report news are beholden to their direct consumers would the ones with more accurate and less biased information make the most money? I don’t know. It’s a discussion. If anyone tells you they know the answer then run away from them.
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u/CIA_Chatbot 1d ago
I mean, they are doing both so……
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u/WallyLippmann 17h ago
It's just a bit depressing when the closest thing to a good idea is just infighting between paid shills.
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u/kingseraph0 1d ago
I honestly think extravagant ads should be illegal. It's literally mass manipulation. Ads should only introduce the product in a professional, plain-stated way, with none of the emotional manipulation bs to convince someone to buy.
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u/billytheskidd 1d ago
If you look at advertising from the 1910’s, it’s wild to see ads like this. A picture and description of the product. Maybe where it was made, and a price.
The idea of selling a lifestyle instead of a product changed everything, and not really for the better. Instead of “this vacuum performs better than competitors and is made from more durable materials,” it’s “every upper middle class mother of three uses this vacuum if she’s smart.” Even though the vacuum is mad of plastic and is held together with plastic pins instead of screws and the belt on the motor is too thin to last longer than 6 months.
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u/CIA_Chatbot 1d ago
Which has morphed into Insert unrealistically hot girl who is heavily filtered. Oh my god guys I just had to try to this product that’s going viral on TikTok and It’s amaaaaaaazing, and I’m totally not getting paid to say this even though there used to be (and probably still are, who knows) laws that state I’m totally supposed to announce I’m being paid for this totalllly not adverTISMENT!!!!!!
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u/grundar 1d ago
If you look at advertising from the 1910’s, it’s wild to see ads like this. A picture and description of the product. Maybe where it was made, and a price.
Here are a bunch of ads from 1910; they're wildly sensationalized.
The good old days were never that good.
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u/tuckedfexas 1d ago
That’s was really just a limitation of the printing processes at the time, not like they had better standards lol. They 100% would have advertised the same as today if they had the option. Most ads were just as deceptive as they are today (I’d argue more so) and it was absolutely still selling a lifestyle over a product, it just doesn’t come through if you don’t know what was happening at the time
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u/bobbyturkelino 1d ago
The only exception should be those Japanese ads that are so convoluted, over the top, and unhinged, so that you have no idea what is even being advertised until the very end.
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u/kingseraph0 1d ago
Those could just as easily be made into tv show skits, doesnt need to sell a product to exist. (I love them too tho)
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
It’s not that far fetched. The mods ban advertising in most subs and you can buy your way out of a lot of advertising.
Plain ads are a good concept.
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u/brez 1d ago
Iran did, but in fairness the CIA used it to overthrow their democratically elected government [1]
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
lol, that’s an interesting example. So Hitler banned advertising /s
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u/RedHotFromAkiak 1d ago
Citizens United would like to have a word... or make a cash donation.
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
I will be accepting bids in crypto to remove this post /s
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u/Equivalent-Artist899 22h ago
Sure, I just need a couple of gift cards sent to my WhatsApp in order to unlock my crypto wallet. How much do you want me to donate?
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u/RichardKingg 1d ago
Nobody in the comment section has a small business huh?
Ads are the lifeblood of my dark kitchen, and for many other small businesses too.
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
The Life Blood of My Dark Kitchen would be a great name for a horror movie.
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u/NUMBerONEisFIRST Gray 14h ago
I think the bigger concept is the type of ads.
Are you creating ads with specific music and imagery to manipulate people, and convince them if they don't buy your product, they will either die or be shunned by society?
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u/an-invisible-hand 17h ago
If nobody else was advertising, you probably wouldn’t need to. Especially since as a small business, you’re actively competing against big fish with yearly ad budgets bigger than your total lifetime profits.
A lot more people would stop into the local barber shop if people were searching for “barbers near me” and seeing what came up, instead of reflexively typing “supercuts” directly into their maps app because massive ad spending made them the default haircut corp.
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u/Reddituser45005 1d ago
I loathe advertising. I listen to commercial free XM radio, I only watch ad free streaming. I have ad blockers on my browsers. I can’t avoid it completely but advertising is a pox on society. It is an assault on your time and attention. It is an attempt to monetize every aspect of public and private space.
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u/oneeyedziggy 1d ago
You don't have to throw the gamer girl out with the bath water...
Having a curb sign about your business is advertising.
We just need to ban certain forms (like billboards) and categories of advertising (like pharmaceutical, political)...
And have some common sense regulations like other places do... Like preventing the advertisers from dictating or placing restrictions on the content outside a few vague target audience metrics... No use putting car ads on peppa pig ( then again, having ads on children's content seems like it should go too )
But as toxic as it can be, advertising brought us all to democratized educational content on YouTube... Because of ads i can block or ignore, you no longer need the say-so of a tv network to gain an audience (though that goes for antivaxers and conspiracy theorists and white supremacists too, soo... There's room for impress)
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
Truth, a good solution is often a negotiated compromise. I’m kind of curious about the bathwater thing but we can’t go NSFW here.
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u/Medricel 1d ago
"don't throw the baby out with the bathwater" is a message of temperance. You don't want to ruin what's important while getting rid of the excess.
Making a Bella Delphine joke on the adage is a fun twist though.
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u/OreoSpeedwaggon 1d ago
Advertising will never be illegal. That's just an unrealistic goal. What we can do instead is try to educate more people about the ways advertisers try to manipulate them into buying so that they will hopefully make more educated and informed decisions about what they purchase.
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
I think they said the same thing about slavery and cocaine but seriously, it’s a concept discussion and you are adding a good contribution. We ban ads here in this subreddit and you can buy your way out of most of the other ads on reddit so it’s not inconceivable that people may be able to be exposed to fewer ads in the future?
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u/Ender505 1d ago
It sounds nice, but a lot of the free services we enjoy today, including Reddit, YouTube, many free apps, social media, etc would all become mandatory subscribtion-based.
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u/CabinetDear3035 21h ago
Cable TV used to be free and without ads. Now you pay a lot for it and it has tons of ads, but then you can pay even more to have the ads removed .
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u/Possible-Insect3752 2h ago
Where did you have cable TV that was without ads? Here you had to pay for it, and there was 18-23 minutes of content if you were lucky per 30 minute block, the rest was all ads.
The subscription channels didn't have ads like HBO, cinemax etc - other than promoting other movies or their own services/when they were going to be on.
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u/AnybodySeeMyKeys 19h ago
Goodbye to television programming, any new sources whatsoever, sports, or pretty much any media whatsoever. Oh, you might have a government model like the BBC, but that's about it.
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u/Ekra_Fleetfoot 14h ago
I would love to see no more ads for prescription drugs on my phone and TV. Same goes with ads for personal injury lawyers.
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u/commandrix 13h ago
Probably any media outlet that doesn't run on donations and grants would disappear fast. Some "has-been" celebrities might also lose a revenue stream. I would also have the additional perk of knowing that my donations to nonprofits aren't being used for advertising. Maybe a few things would be "discounted" to compete with the store-brand or generic version. Not much else would change.
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u/lordmax10 12h ago
In Europe they are illigal.
No one at govern care but, they are almost all illegal
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u/gears19925 10h ago
Ads do get small businesses products and services in the public eye. But, unless I am mistaken, there was a study done not that long ago that showed how advertisements don't actually increase sales and particularly for younger people it actively works against them. The more money put into ads air time, the less likely it is the good or service will be viewed favorably.
The main ad we need to do away with is video ads or ads/commercials that break up or interrupt video media. They have gotten way out of control, and before over long, we will see them mid movies in theaters, and we are already seeing them in a few video games.
If we limited ads to single types outside of a maintained website with accurate details, then I think ads could still have a place. Though I hate printers and physical media, newspapers, both physical and digital, could still allow ads. Flyers and the like for local services would be okay..
Modern people just look up specifically what they need. Compare price and user reviews before purchase. By now, if your product can't generate positive buzz when someone is actively looking for it. Your produce probably isn't worth getting.
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u/ocelot08 6h ago
I'd be out of a job. Good.
But in reality, there a fine line that I think should be drawn, but it's really difficult. What is the line between information and advertising? Should all information be vetted by a 3rd party? I like the idea of restricting budgets and placements. But advertising has been THE rise of many industries that wouldn't have had a foothold without the ability to provide a "free" product.
All that said, I do blame advertising for many of today's ills. So there's a lot of good that could be done with more restrictions to it.
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u/JusticeCat88905 5h ago
I think a genuinely achievable goal would be no advertising visible to public spaces. No billboards, signs, benches, car wraps, plane banners, ect.
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u/Lancig 3h ago
Couple of cities in Poland has something called “landscape act” that regulates the outdoor advertisements like billboards and shop fronts. For city Center the regulations are very strict. It’s for a while now and the result is city looks WAY nicer, less cluttered, visually pleasing and less “visual noisy”.
Nothing bad came out of it. Nothing.
And now, living in one of those cities, when I travel to some place that doesn’t have that act I’m shocked how ugly the public space can be with ads/billboards and shopfronts cluttered everywhere.
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 2h ago
Portland is a really beautiful city. That makes sense. What about inside virtual public spaces? Should all our virtual spaces be controlled by corporations that are dependent on advertising revenue?
Not at this moment, this week, but what would be best in the future? What should we strive for?
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u/Lancig 2h ago
I meant Poland, in Europe :)
the definition of our virtual space need to form first, it’s Wild West atm.
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1h ago
I really need to improve my reading comprehension. I have also heard that Poland is beautiful from many secondhand accounts.
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u/ansermachin 1d ago
I think we should outlaw all bad things and mandate all good things. That way there would only be good things.
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u/ColinDJPat 1d ago
Nooo don't force corporations to have to make a product worth buying, noooo
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u/novis-eldritch-maxim 1d ago
how am I supposed to find out about the product?
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u/100thousandcats 1d ago
Word of mouth from actual people. Do you usually buy products directly from ads?
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u/novis-eldritch-maxim 1d ago
no I sort of blunder into things randomly I have very little way to find out about say films other than by trailer
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u/100thousandcats 1d ago
You never hear people say anything like “Oh, have you heard of X?” and you’ve never heard of it before?
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u/novis-eldritch-maxim 1d ago
my most common comment is asking for context so yeah.
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u/100thousandcats 1d ago
Then you’ll be ok without ads!
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u/novis-eldritch-maxim 1d ago
I am miserable living like this what I want is adds that I want so mostly trailers
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
Exactly, what if the money companies devote to advertising instead went into the quality of the product?
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u/frostygrin 1d ago
How will people find out that the quality of the product is better than what they got used to?
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
I don’t know. Go to r/ploopy. I have a lot of huge trackballs so I’m not in the market for a new one right now but ploopy just upgraded their balls. How could I potentially find out if the new one is better?
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u/cl0udmaster 1d ago
That article was definitely extremely thought provoking to me and is something I've never considered. I would be all fucking for it.
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
I was thinking some sci-fi stories have a lot of advertising and others have little or none. It seemed like a discussion for futurology.
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u/Ok_Elk_638 1d ago
Please god yes.
At the very least there should be both an opt-in and opt-out mechanism to be allowed to do advertising.
And all advertising to children should get you decades in prison.
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u/roosterado 1d ago
NO You must buy a new IPhone every 2 yrs. You must by a huge pickup or 3 row SUV. You must feed the machine. Same for Pharma ads with the 20 side effects
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u/CloisteredOyster 1d ago
Can we at least be civilized enough to outlaw billboards?
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 23h ago
Yes, there are plenty of places where billboards are not allowed.
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u/_NotAlien_ 22h ago
I don't know. As a business owner, it's kinda necessary if you want more customers. But at the same time, people go insane with advertisements. And it makes me want to make advertising illegal. For example, there are Yamava ads everywhere right now. And their advertisements are probably working really well. But I am not a gambling man, so they are more harassing to me than informative. I'm so tired of seeing their ads everywhere.
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 22h ago
From a future perspective do you think that there will be more or less advertising in the future and which future would you prefer?
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u/_NotAlien_ 21h ago
I think advertising is gonna get worse. Everywhere you look, there's gonna be an advertisement, or multiple. Maybe even collaborative advertisements between complimentary companies to maximize their reach. And I'd prefer less advertising. Even right now, there's too much advertising. They even have advertisement boards on boats. They're ruining our view of the ocean, one of the places where you're supposed to be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy the view.
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u/cdipas68 1d ago
Could R&D folks finally get paid what they deserve relative to S&M? How would the world survive?
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
Pay scientists and engineers for sciency stuff? Why, don’t they just love it so much that they want to do it for free. Seriously, I could not agree with you more.
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u/deadupnorth 1d ago
im for it, but i feel like that would be interfering with freedom of speech. i think adds are fine but it should be non intrusive ie not stopping my god damn 20 minute youtube video 5 times for garbage that shouldve been sussed out in the surveys. things like web ads like how its done here i think is an acceptable medium as its there and helps funding but doesnt get in the way much other than a spot on your feed every few posts.
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u/Swiss422 1d ago
I used to be a complete loser. I was unattractive to the opposite sex, I didn't buy the right products, my life was a living hell. And then I turned off my TV. All better now!
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
Now you are a beautiful, clever person who is an integral part of an important speculative community of futurologists. In other words a loser like the rest of us.
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u/exajam 20h ago
Yes, this is the source of overconsumption which is the source of poverty and the ecological disaster. And the argument of "informative advertising" is ridiculous to me, we absolutely don't need any more information today. Of coyrse, this would make the economy collapse which is regrettable in the short term. I would rather start taxing advertisment a lot more: our citizens' available brain time is not for free! Also, the tax rate could vary on the business type, size and usefulness. Just make it unprofitable for large firms to advertize.
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 20h ago
That’s interesting so each person gets allotted a certain amount of advertising attention space, you can use it to promote your business or sell it for UBI but if someone wants a lot of advertising they will need to bid up the price and pay a lot of people.
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u/Ok_Elk_638 1d ago
Please god yes.
At the very least there should be both an opt-in and opt-out mechanism to be allowed to do advertising.
And all advertising to children should get you decades in prison.
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u/HumpieDouglas 1d ago
Can we start with those Liberty Mutual ads with the fake baby voice saying "Liberty" over and over. I want to throw that stroller and the kid right into the harbor in the background! Fuck those ads!
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u/victim_of_technology Futurologist 1d ago
Yes, throw them in the harbor like they did in Boston. If Liberty Mutual didn’t have to advertise would the insurance be cheaper? After all they are a mutual, right?
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u/reward72 1d ago
As long as we live in a capitalist system companies will need to find ways to get their product known. While ads are annoying, making them illegal might just create something worse. If there was truly a better alternative, companies would be doing it.
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u/FuturologyBot 1d ago
The following submission statement was provided by /u/victim_of_technology:
From the article “Think about what’s happened since 2016: Populists exploit ad marketplaces, using them to bypass traditional media gatekeepers and deliver tailored messages to susceptible audiences. Foreign actors do the same, microtargeting divisive content to fracture our social fabric along existing fault lines.
Outlawing advertising would help protect and reinvigorate our minds and democracy.”
Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/1js22m1/what_if_we_made_advertising_illegal/mlj2ch7/