Is there a lemmy community, for example, where people discuss shopping strategies which minimize the risk of the purchase decision being influenced by Brand Image or Flashy Packaging? Or similar topics. Maybe what product categories have cheapest products that are bad, so you canβt apply an objective criterion while making the purchase decision, and are more vulnerable to advertising. Maybe how shopping background music is evil because it takes up mental capacity. (Iβm feeling slightly autistic right now, science at least shows music makes you buy more, the rest is just my guess.) You know, that kind of thing.
Questions I would ask people interested in this (feel free to answer them anyways): Do you think making a list of every company that has ever advertised to you so that you can hold it up to yourself when making a purchase decision and only buy from their competitors, makes sense and would be worth your time? Do you love shopping lists because they make you think of the generic product beforehand, and then let you objectively decide based on price which one to buy? Do you agree with the sentiment that, like an AI in a Robert Miles video / Sci-Fi Movie resisting being turned off, I should want to resist something that will change my opinion or state of mind? Do you get a negative gut reaction whenever you see that people are studying advertising, which means most of their job is making this manipulation more efficient? Would these hetorical questions make good advertising for the hypothetical Advertising Hate Club?
Well start with unlock origin and sponsor block for yt that will clean up most of the obvious ads. On mobile u can use an app patcher to kill most app ads and new pipe for yt. The product placements and payed listings u just have to make a judgement yourself. I try to make purchases based on features. Its as simple as 1 2 3.
- clearly define the problem I have
- define what features I need to solve that problem
- find the product that fills all the necessary and as many of the optional features as possible.
Donβt let brands tell you how to feel or invent problems u need solved. Use brands simply as markers of reputation. And most importantly have zero brand loyalty which often means avoiding lockin ecosystems as much as possible (Foss is your friend in that regard).
*Ublock Origin, an extension for firefox and Ublock origin Lite, an extension for chrome and derivatives
Not trying to be pedantic, people who never heard of it could straight up download the wrong software
Do you think making a list of every company that has ever advertised to you so that you can hold it up to yourself when making a purchase decision and only buy from their competitors, makes sense and would be worth your time?
Absolutely not. I loathe ads with every fiber of my being, and I could not think of anything that would be a bigger waste of time. Youβre also getting ads from the advertising competitors. Several store brands are just name brands in a suit. Weβre so bombarded with ads, that itβs impossible to track them or know when something is an ad. Can you tell when a product listicle is based on genuine feedback and when itβs a sponsored post? Now, if you have a moral or ethical concern about the company then it totally makes sense to make a list. But not for seeing ads.
The book Influence by Cialdini not only talks about the levers of influence, but how to minimize their impact.
Avoiding advertising is the best way to avoid influence, but remember that pretty much everyone wants you to change your mind ina way that benefits them. Avoiding influence altogether is impossible, and that influence is necessary to stay informed and make good life choices.
My advice is twofold. First, learn the logical fallacies and how to identify them. Second, account for uncertainty in your decisions. The most practical application of this second point is to favor decisions that leave you with more options in the future. This uncertainty should include you. Account for the possibility that your goals and views may change in the future, because they will.
Advertising goes way beyond fallacies. Companies are always finding ways to manipulate you. I could spend a year walking through a supermarket identifying manipulations. An easy one to understand is the ingredients of jam. If fruit is the first ingredient in your jam, then it must make it healthier, right? Take a look at the next three ingredients. Instead of using one sweetening agent, they use at least three so each one has a lower amount than the fruit ingredient.
New recipe! New size! Classic recipe! 20% more!
Donβt let them tell you what you want and need. Marketers and advertisers will only lie to you.
The fact you are even thinking about all this critically is a great step.
Being aware of advertising and what it does to you individually and what it means socially is more awareness that 90 percent of the population who just passively accept it as a normal part of our world.
Keep asking questions β¦ always keep asking questions β¦ even if you never find the answers β¦ asking questions is always better than just passively accepting the unacceptable things in our world.
The only caution to all that is β¦ always be wary of those who give you the simple answers β¦ especially easy answers to complicated questions. Life is a complicated process and it seldom leads us to easy simple answers.
