Several years ago I saw a Facebook ad for an online coaching program for aspiring music producers.
It was exactly what I needed at the time, but I had no idea that someone had put something like this together, and I would never have independently thought of googling this. Instead, I relied on music production tutorials on the one hand, and generic productivity advice on the other hand, and assumed that was the best help available out there.
That is just my anecdote, but I'm sure everyone here has their "how could I possibly live without this before" product or service.
Advertising can be useful, and the more targeted, the less obnoxious.
>convincing you that you needed a product that you actually didn't
What if it's convincing him that he needs a product that is actually of benefit to him, that he didn't know existed?
I don't want crap pushed on me without consent. Once you have consent, (which is me doing a pull of what you're offering), then it's okay.
I'm surprised with all the controversy over consent in the last year or so that Tech and Ad companies still don't understand this. Then again, the wisdom of Upton Sinclair applies.
--It is difficult to get someone to understand what their paycheck is dependent on them not understanding
>The user on the other hand gets no benefits, the society gets no benefits, and those who benefit are random people whose motives are unclear.
This is blatantly false. In this thread alone there are multiple people who have stated they find benefit through targeted ads.