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 can’t 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. (I’m 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?
BuyItForLife communities might work, and a lot of topic specific communities have discussions on if a product is worth the hype. Having a separate community for it might not work as well if it doesn’t have the momentum / crowd sourced knowledge
Consumer protection programs are also fun. CBC Marketplace has a BuzzKill segment that somewhat fits with this theme
The unfortunate reality is that these communities are big enough now that advertisers are aware of them. They are full of sock puppets and have become guerrilla advertising platforms and you have to really read through them more carefully than in the past
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. You’re also getting ads from the advertising competitors. Several store brands are just name brands in a suit. We’re so bombarded with ads, that it’s 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 it’s 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.
Just use adblock and then never go outside. Easy peasy
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 … always keep asking questions … even if you never find the answers … asking questions is always better than just passively accepting the unacceptable things in our world.
The only caution to all that is … always be wary of those who give you the simple answers … especially easy answers to complicated questions. Life is a complicated process and it seldom leads us to easy simple answers.
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?
No, but I do have a mental list of companies (mostly local, a handful of contractors and landscapers) that have shitty ass drivers that can’t follow basic road rules and are likely the owners.
