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Interesting this thread was here, I was just thinking about this topic. I ran into an internet ad with sound that couldn't be turned off, for the first time tonight... nothing short of teeth-grindingly annoying. Although I can see the commercial reasoning behind it (AN AD THAT CAN'T BE IGNORED WILL SURELY GET THE ATTENTION OF AT LEAST A FEW, RIGHT!!??) I don't think it's at all effective, at least to anybody who doesn't have the gullibility of an infant. An ad like that is mostly irritating, and irritation isn't perhaps the best emotion you want to instil in people when you're trying to pursuade them to give you their business...

Internet advertising, though, hasn't been too bad so far. I'm sure it will get a lot worse. At least with pop-up blockers you can keep most of the junk off your screen, although the ads built into websites are harder to ignore. Especially since a lot of them now incorporate sound and video, which can slow down load times considerably... connections are slow enough in Australia as it is without having to put up with this junk.

I'm not an anti-capitalist at all, far from it, but advertising is probably one of the more depressing aspects of consumer society. It worms its way into every aspect of your life (I genuinely think it's nearly impossible to go half an hour without being exposed to some form of advertising, unless you lie on your bed with your eyes closed) and often uses pretty underhanded methods to try and make a sale. People complain about driving down the street and seeing graffiti...billboards piss me off a lot more. At least graffiti isn't trying to make me buy junk, though maybe in the future companies will start paying graffers to tag 'COCA COLA' or whatever on overpasses instead of tag signs. I wouldn't put it past them.

lol I went off on a rant. >.< Advertising bugs me.

Crawl and 1OOO wrote:

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TanookiBlues wrote:

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I'm not an anti-capitalist at all, far from it, but advertising is probably one of the more depressing aspects of consumer society.

Compared to massive levels of inequity, probably not.

Depends what country you live in. I was referring more to the social effects of consumerism than the economic... advertising is dehumanising and, as its currently practiced, arguably amoral. Inequity to some degrees is an inevitable outcome of any (workable) economic system, and the economic inequities present in one capitalist country (like the US) aren't present in anywhere near the same degree as in others (like my own). I would say the large economic disparity between classes in the US isn't a flaw relating directly to the inherent nature of capitalism, but rather how it is currently being practiced in that country... Same goes for the consumer society and the problems created by advertising, which vary in degree of bullshittery from nation to nation.

Capitalism and consumerism aren't perfect but they seem to work pretty efficiently. Ironing out some of the potential problems created by these systems is the task of responsible government regulation, which when done properly can create quite decent, livable societies. I just know advertising is foul and most people involved in that industry need their morals checked... shoving that junk in our faces 24/7 isn't helping anybody, except the small group of assholes lining their pockets off of our misery.