/Thoughts on Advertising

I hate ads so much, it's like I'm allergic to them. Fortunately, I've been using ad-blocking extensions for years - currently settled on uBlock Origin. It's quite insane how much of our daily lives is inundated with advertisements. Walk through any city, and you'll see billboards lining the streets, hear ads on the bus, and spot flyers plastered across the subway. You can't escape it. Ads have infiltrated every corner of our lives, and nobody seems to notice - nobody seems to care. But this shouldn't be our reality.

Thanks to modern ad blockers, I rarely see ads when browsing the web. I can't recall the last time I encountered a pop-up or banner ad in the past decade, and for that, I'm immensely grateful. However, the exception occurs when I look at other people's computers. In high school, I remember seeing several ads whenever teachers presented their screens. Frankly, they made me feel irritated, like a bad itch in the back of my mind. But I can forgive them - they aren't as technologically literate as the younger generation. What I can't comprehend is when I see people my age browsing the internet "naked." How does that not annoy you? I understand that after years of being bombarded by ads, you might become desensitized, subconsciously blocking them out, but there's no denying it's still a waste of time and an annoyance.

“Whoever controls the media, controls the mind.” - Jim Morrison

Ads put me in a bad mood - why wouldn't they? They're intrusive, barging into whatever content you're trying to access, as if you're prey. This predatory approach is disgusting. It makes me feel like I'm being farmed for my attention, likely because that's exactly what's happening. We live in an attention economy, where companies compete to intrude on your thoughts, feelings, and interests. Advertisements are everywhere, telling us how to think, look, and feel. It's a parasitic relationship.

The truth is, marketing is a science - it works. I don't believe anyone who says ads don't influence them. Companies don't spend millions per second during the Super Bowl just so you'll remember the ad (although they wouldn’t mind that). They do it so their brand is the first thing that pops into your head when you need something. When you think of cookies, soda, candy - you instantly think of brands. Advertising is just another word for propaganda, and nobody is immune to propaganda.

With modern technological advancements and a deeper understanding of human psychology, advertisers now have a thousand times more data and insights on how to perfectly influence people. It's no secret that the global dynamic is being suppressed under surveillance capitalism. We are oppressed as data slaves. Every aspect of our lives is logged, recorded, and mined as resources for the top one percent. Capitalists have colonized the entire planet, and now that it’s been fully colonized, they're turning to our minds.

You are what you attend to. - Matthew Crawford

It's up to us to reclaim our attention. Everyone should have the right to focus on what they want without being intruded upon. We deserve to live with a clear mind, free from unwanted information. Attention theft is a serious issue. In a world where external influences can transform your sense of self, it’s crucial to always ask questions and seek the truth.