this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2023
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I agree. I also think ads do influence us way more than almost anyone would believe or admit. Why else would companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars on ads without batting an eye. Many products cost as much or less than their ad campaign cost to make.
So I try to avoid ads as much as possible. I haven't seen or heard an ad in a long time aside from billboards and posters which are basically impossible to avoid.
Ads are basically paid graffiti
I think they're worse then that though. They attempt to manipulate and influence. Graffiti is just kind of there. Advertising attempts to look like its just there. All so it can actually pull tricks on you. Its a messed up industry.
After all the ad industry is what spawned climate denialism and also spread confusion between cigarettes and cancer among other issues. Issues that we have to be convinced of otherwise we might actually make a better societal choice. Hell The grandfather of modern advertising Edward Bernays leveraged what he know of human nature and sub consciousness to build this industry.
Sure almost all ads are benign individually. But as an industry they're pretty evil. Hell if it wasn't for ads, we wouldn't have lost the internet to the shit show it is today. All the identity stealing, data collection and propaganda machines were spawned because we ignored the growing cancer that is online ads.
When I grew up there was a big push to reject ads and corporate spread. Even sub cultures like punk was focused on rejecting that growing bullshit. Then it all stopped. Like the ads won and now you're the insane one if you say that advertising is a major issue in society today. Now every kid wants their own sponsorships and some do get it.
Ads are psychological abuse.
Banksy was right.
There actually is paid graffiti. Most that I've seen looks absolutely awesome. It's insane what a graffiti artist can do when they got plenty time and don't have to watch out to not be caught.
You should check out Wynwood Walls if you ever find yourself in Miami, Florida. Blocks of amazing street art.
Graffiti in most cases is just advertising deemed unwanted by whoever owns the medium used to convey it, you've got it the wrong way around...