bugswriter's blog

Ads are anti-capitalist

2022-07-19

Your choice doesn't matter - "You see ads". We all do :( We got no other choice in this fast growing modern attention economy. You have to be extremely autistic to ignore ads fully. Literally everything we consume get rigged with ads. You can't enjoy something without getting manupilated to buy something.

But if you think rationally about ads, you will realize all of this ad torture is kinda useless. Infact in my opinion "Ads should get banned".

Let me write some of my arguments and reasons.

Why Ads are useless?

After 1970 most governments started to ban smoking ads. Most people thought, this will destroy these cigarette brands. But in reality what happened is the opposite. Instead of destruction most companies end up with profits. You might wonder how? Well it's simple if you think, People who used to smoke, continued smoking and buying cigarettes. On ther other hand companies started to save money they used to spend on ads and marketing.

But wait..? then what impact these ads were making? Ads goal wasn't to tell people about cigarette or products. Ads goal is to tell people about brand. Because each brand get rival brand. If coke stop ads, then people will only see pepsi and start buying it. If pepsi stop ads.. people will buy coke. But in cigarettes case all companies got banned, so no rival candidate. It means...

ADS ARE TOTALLY USELESS SHIT!

No this can't be true

I know right. This is hard to believe. I know why and I agree. Ads do make impact, it helps co-orporation to make more profit. Even if a company got no rival candidate. Because it create a need. I totally agree with this. It make sense for companies to run all these ads. But other than this, if you are coming up with any common arguments, I want you to think deep.

Here are some of the most common arguments people come up with -

  • No, we don't need ads to know about any product at all. When I buy something I just start researching by looking at companies. For example. If you want to buy headphones, I will go to a website to see the list of headphone making companies and then I will go to each company website to see their products, specs, price etc. Read reddit users review on them, ask my friends, think and buy one. I don't need to see any ad. Notice how this method is forcing consumer to think, rather getting manupilated to believe something is good, when it's not.
  • Everyone know rice exist, we all eat rice. We are going to buy rice anyway with or without ads. With ads we might get tricked to believe X brand rice is better than Y brand. But without ads we have to make decision without any bias.
  • No we will know about some new product invention via news and word of mouth not by ads.
  • You can't justify ads just becase youtuber, streamers, artist get some revenue out of it. It's like lets have this complete useless think and waste people time/energy on it so these people will get some revenue. Also I believe ads and marketing really destroy these quality.

How Ads anti-capitalist?

In order to understand this section, first we have to talk about Capitalism (obviously). In my opinion Capitalism is a bad system, but since humans are shit and full of greed, this system turned out the be the best and most impactful system for us. Now these impacts are good or bad, we might discuss later.

This system allow Co-orporation/Companies to make products and advertise it however they want. Now since capitalism is a system which exploit human greed, anything which doesn't fit into profit model get demolished including Moral Priciples.

Everyone got different opinion on this system but one thing is clear, "We are living in capitalist world and this isn't going to change". Capitalism won't die soon but world will.

Now to be fair this system does allow few good things. Like letting anyone build a brand. But the issue happen is monopoly, big fish eats small fish (we all know that). For Example: In Tech Google and Facebook like companies eats all small rapidly growing startups.

I strongly believe Banning ads and marketing can improve these kind of situations drastically. These companies grow strong because they got lot of marketing and ads involved. Small companies don't get that reach because competition isn't just between product.

Everyone knows good product without marketing isn't gonna sale. Isn't this anti-capitalist? Capitalism allow us to get good products, Because it make companies compete. But just because of this ad and marketing industry. This fight is not not against products, instead it is against reach. I hope you are getting the point.

Immoral Aspects

Most ads are manupilative and false. This is Immoral. Personally for me ads are just small level scams. We are making manupitation and lies selling a norm. Notice I am just saying ads but I am also targeting entire Marketing world here. People sit in front of spreadsheet all day figure out ways to make you fall into their stupid products. Do they add any real value to society? How they are different from scam call centers? Have you ever seen a sales person who speak truth about his product? I am not even going touch those aspects where they make you feel less. Target your self esteem. Now most ads are not like this so lets just leave it. But "Manupilation and Lies" are almost in 80% of them.

Lets imagine a world without ads for a min.

  • No one will generate unnessecary needs, so people won't buy too many stuff. Consumerism declined to zero.
  • No more manupilation or selling lies.
  • It will be hard to make Monopolies, Companies will fight, just on the basis of products and people start deciding with free minds.
  • Clean world. No more junk on internet, train station, videos etc.
  • So much energy will save. So many people work in ads and marketing industry, they can move to do something real, I mean lets be honest no one love marketing. It's all just for money. You might like your office or co-workers but you can never be passionate and think in night "I should practice my marketing skills on sunday it's so fun".

This will be literally "5 problems, 1 solution" for capitalism.

One last note - This article was sponsored by "ublock origin".