Hacker News Reader

Comment by stanleydrew | Hacker News Reader

> ... track you everywhere and then use that against you in ads.

This sentiment is really interesting. Thinking that ads are overtly antagonistic, that they are an "attack" of sorts I guess makes sense. And then when Google or FB enables advertisers it's seen as an affront.

I am interested in why there aren't similar levels of vitriol for, say, NBC/ABC/CBS or any TV broadcaster for enabling the ads that they show us.

View on HN

It's not the ads themselves so much as the tracking required to target them. When it was just Google showing ads at the top of the search results that matched whatever I just searched for, that was fine and often even helpful.

When Google is tracking where I'm going, my browsing habits, and even where I shop and what I buy, that's when I start to get creeped out about how much they know about me.

If NBC was watching my TV and putting in ads based on every show I've ever watched, I'd be concerned about that, too.

I will raise my hand--Over decades, I've made a conscious effort to reduce, minimize, and when I can, eliminate ads of all kind from my headspace. From little things like ad blocking and not watching TV (yep, I'm one of those guys), to deliberately choosing routes to and from work and other places so as to minimize the number of billboards invading my field of view. I see them as unwanted communications that I do not consent to, similar to how we think of telemarketers and door-to-door solicitors.

I haven't seen a TV ad in 8+ years.

Thats near unbelievable, I haven't owned a TV in near a decade and I see a TV ad at least once a month. I walk by TVs too often to not see them.

I can believe it. I haven't owned a TV in many years, and while I do see an ad or two relatively regularly (my parents own a TV), even when I visit them I often never see it on.

Outside of visiting them, I can't even think of any situations where I'd encounter one. We've got TVs in work but they only show static screens with schedules and notifications. No channels. None of my friends own one and I do actively avoid sports bars.

I'm probably in a minority but I don't think I'm extremely unusual. Definitely a fast growing minority at least.

I think it depends on where nnutter lives, and it also depends on his social circle. Since nearly none of my friends have TVs, I can go months without seeing an ad. (I myself do have a TV, but I only watch public broadcast channels that do not have ads except for their own programming.)

You're being deliberately obtuse, but I'll play along.

8+ years ago, when you were still seeing TV ads, were you feeling as attacked by TV broadcasters as you are by Google/FB today?

I think this is a neargroup-fargroup thing. I'm willing to bet that very little of the Hackernews demographic watches enough NBC/ABC/CBS to feel subjugated by their ads, but most of us use Google and Facebook a whole lot.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com