Redditor for over a dozen years, this was the final nail for me. Lemmy is feeling like the good old days. Memmy for Lemmy is pretty great. The fediverse has its growing pains but in a few years I hope the enshittification will be a thing of the past.
I know I'm in the minority but I have mixed feelings about targeted advertising.
If being shown none isnt an option Id rather be shown things that I might have a passing interest in over just being bombarded with advertisements for a male 25 to 40.
The problem is not necessarily that the ads are personalized. The problem is, to make them personalized, companies have to collect personal data. This turns you into a product, because they can/will sell your info to other corporations.
I’ve never understood this so maybe you could help. Personally, I rather see ads for things I’m not interested in so I’m not tempted to buy anything. Why would you prefer to be manipulated to buying things?
And, just out of curiosity, where do you fall in the conversation about today’s economy and personal finances? Are you doing well for yourself or are you struggling? Do you have any thoughts on targeted advertising influencing people to be better consumers while they complain about not being able to afford a decent life?
I don't care either way, but if they want to show me personalized ads, I'm often less likely to buy the specific product being advertised to because I don't need to deal with that kind of thirstiness for a toothbrush.
Get an adblocker. ublock origin for PC and android firefox is great. Adaway on android blocks most ads from other apps. And I don't use apple products, but I've heard Adguard works there.
For me, twitter was always about community engagement. It’s where I got updates from my city’s legislators, reporters, businesses, etc. It’s the best news hub. And it was the best platform for communicating with others who share my hobbies and professional interests. Not to mention the real IRL friends I had made through out the years.
So, it’s not just a dumpster fire of misinformation and racism and sexism.
Reddit has always been much better at building community than twitter. Twitter has always been about getting somebody voice propagated. To a huge extent the louder and more belligerent you are twitter will help amplify your message because it’s in twitters financial interest. It’s not even remotely like a public square that it loves to compare itself with.