What If We Made Advertising Illegal?
What If We Made Advertising Illegal?
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.
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I think local businesses should still be allowed some form of advertisement, and also especially local cultural establishments to advertise what shows are currently running. In limited, dedicated spaces.
Otherwise, I agree. No more ads.