What if we banned all advertising? Not regulate it—abolish it. This proposal would transform manipulation machines, and maybe save democracy itself. A thought experiment worth considering.

The idea feels like sci-fi because you’re so used to it, imagining ads gone feels like asking to outlaw gravity. But humanity had been free of current forms of advertising for 99.9% of its existence. Word-of-mouth and community networks worked just fine. First-party websites and online communities would now improve on that.

The traditional argument pro-advertising—that it provides consumers with necessary information—hasn’t been valid for decades.

    • L7HM77@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      0·
      7 days ago

      All businesses would fail if they don’t evolve from the current structure.

      A new ecosystem would arise, and if it’s held stable long enough, it would become the new norm.

      It’s kinda like how news stations report on minimum wages in the US, “if we increase minimum wages, X% of small businesses will fail.” I try to single out and avoid businesses that operate that way, because the workers are miserable from the low pay, me as the consumer is miserable from the poor customer service, and the owner is miserable because he isn’t taking home ‘enough’ money, even though the business is net positive cash flow.

      Propping up the inefficient practices is holding everything back, if they’re pruned then new growth can take hold, and form new standards.