Both of which were thankfully completely off target. Apparently those two categories are the birdshot of advertising.
So I am in a similar position as you in terms of getting the ad companies to just throw random guesses at me.
But here is what gets me. There is this new push by YouTube that let's you clearly label your videos just for kids.
If I am on YouTube and I am playing a video that clearly is made for only kids, why does YouTube show advertising that is targeted for adults?
Perfect mobile duo for me.
Worse advertising is a sacrifice I'm willing to make (as much as I do really like ads for things that are on sale when I happen to need them).
For me, a second reason to prefer them is that ads are noise. If the semantic content of that noise stays irrelevant, it is easier to ignore.
People can have a ton of other reasons, like avoiding temptation.
My turn - genuine question: did you honestly not know people feel this way?
How am I a targeted ad? I didn't say everyone on HN is a targeted ad. However, HN does show targeted ads.
> which seems to be your thesis.
Not even close. You should reread my comment for what it says, not what you want it to say so you can try to reply with a witless comment.
I don't mind supporting companies by not blocking ads on a page, but I do mind being "followed" by them around the internet and IRL.
In short, this allows me to strengthen my focus. Even though this all happens semi-unconsciously, it makes me more immersed in the content I'm actively trying to pay attention to.
I'm sure they'd prefer or even like advertisements that are relevant from page content NOT invasive personal tracking or profiling.
IE: You go to a bathtub website and see an ad for rubber ducks and soap because those products make sense with bathtubs, not with the users browsing history.
Sadly, sacrificing relevancy is currently the only move to speak out about tracking, as a consumer.
Let's say I like cars and I don't care for travelling.
If both sides of the page are background image of a car, I will check what car it is because I like cars. If it's a huge picture of a beach I won't even notice because I don't care for beaches.
On the other hand, when I'm later visiting pornhub I'm unlikely to consider purchase of those tools even though they may appear relevant to my interests based on my previous browsing history. On the other hand, I am more likely to be interested in meeting hot moms from my area then - which is again solely context based.
Advertising works, on everyone, including on me.
No matter how hard I try to not be affected by advertising, I can't stop it from working.
Now, with that said, if I have the option to be exposed to an advertisement for a category of products that I am likely to purchase anywhay, or a category that I will never purchase: Isn't it obvious that my behaviour is more likely to be influenced by the relevant add than the irrelevant one?
Some people might think that the word "brainwashing" is too strong to be used for describing advertising, and maybe it is, but is it really that strange that I would prefer a tiny amount of "brainwashing" over a small amount?
I dont have a solution, as often it is with all these questions, but I hope there is a better way going forward.