this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2024
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Enshittification

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What is enshittification?

The phenomenon of online platforms gradually degrading the quality of their services, often by promoting advertisements and sponsored content, in order to increase profits. (Cory Doctorow, 2022, extracted from Wikitionary) source

The lifecycle of Big Internet

We discuss how predatory big tech platforms live and die by luring people in and then decaying for profit.

Embrace, extend and extinguish

We also discuss how naturally open technologies like the Fediverse can be susceptible to corporate takeovers, rugpulls and subsequent enshittification.

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Above is one of my 2 year old nephew's favourite channels. He watches them everyday. For his parents who work from home, it's the greatest thing. If an ad comes up, he cries and they know something is up.

However, they are clicking the ok button on the TV far too often per video cause of this.

They run that 90+ sponsored content so frequently it's become crap. I've seen Land Rover ads, the one above is a house, and the most annoying is when they run other cartoons like Thomas the Tank Engine or something. If the kid wanted that, no problem. But right now the singing cats are his jam. Cars, property? Someone is paying actual money to get ads in front of 2 year old kids?

Tell me this isn't a scam.

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[–] nicgentile -1 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

To blast ads to the wrong target audience? At some point, the ad owner will see a decline in returns. We had 1 million views and less than 0.1% returns in the form of enquiries/sales. Seems like a totally bad investment.

[–] palebluethought 14 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Putting ads targeted to parents on kids' shows is as old as kids' shows, man. That's not a new thing or specific to YouTube

[–] littletoolshed 3 points 3 weeks ago

This is the most poignant comment in the whole thread - this not YouTube, this is video advertising and it has been this way for 75+ years

[–] nicgentile -1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

But the parents aren't watching the ads or the shows They are in the working from home office. So all they do is press ok and move on. But I can see your point.

[–] jqubed 2 points 3 weeks ago

The algorithm doesn’t know that they’re not there

[–] halcyoncmdr 1 points 3 weeks ago

It's not just targeting parents. It's also general market advertising. Some ads are meant to be played widely, usually to increase general brand awareness and aren't targeted. Those ads will play everywhere ads are enabled, regardless of the demographic.

[–] BroBot9000 12 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

They are targeting the parents who are stuck skipping the ads for their children.

[–] nicgentile 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

OK. I can see this, but they aren't watching it themselves. Anyway, must make sense to someone. Newpipe has spoilt me and I am grateful for this.

[–] BroBot9000 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I don’t understand it either. My reaction to seeing an ad for anything is the exact opposite of wanting to purchase it.

I’ve spent enough time setting up ad blockers to thankfully avoid this bullshit but fuck they are really pushing ads hard these days.

[–] nicgentile 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

This.

Parent comes, sees the content isn't what the kid should be watching, presses OK and goes back to work. They don't watch the ad. They have mental filters setup cause they left their kid watching singing cats and if it isn't singing cats, they move on.

[–] BroBot9000 2 points 3 weeks ago

I’m all with you there but clearly some people are stupid enough to fall for it.

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

George Carlin