The article ‘The Internet’s Original Sin’ was a fascinating read. It reinforced a lot of beliefs I already had about the world of ad revenue, but also offered a new lens to view some other issues through. My main takeaways:
Pros of an advertising revenue model:
- Since an ad-supported web is inclusive in that it is open to everyone on the internet, it allows for more free usage options which benefits younger people and those in the developing/underdeveloped world. This ensures better accessibility to online resources without financial barriers.
- Through its “try before they buy” nature, it lets platforms like Facebook, Youtube, X, and Weibo scale to hundreds of millions of users quickly. This causes some further powerful network effects that can make platforms household names.
- The traditional models provide non-invasive recommendation solutions. Traditionally, ads were targeted based on content rather than the user’s identity. This method, if it is still used, can be seen as less invasive than transaction-based models which might link to real-world identity through credit card information, etc.
- As for the internet in general, the adoption of the ad model helped familiarize large companies with the internet’s potential, and this encouraged their online presence even before they had direct business reasons to do so.
Cons of an advertising revenue model:
- One of the main downsides is the invasive tracking and data collection it involves. To make ads more effective, more modern ad revenue models usually involve surveillance of user activities to offer targeted ads and recommendations. This poses serious privacy concerns. Not just that, but such directly tailored content can also lead to echo chambers where users only see content that aligns with their existing beliefs.
- The ad model can also incentivize a clickbait culture and more shallow content designed for large-scale engagement and “going viral” rather than for being informative or qualitative value.
- As platforms grow, they look to gain larger user bases to offer more of an audience for advertisers’ products. This can lead to almost monopolistic behavior, like acquisitions of potential emerging competitors. This leads to a reduction of options and diversity in the online ecosystem.
Impact on individual well-being:
- As a frequent user of social media and content consumption platforms, I know firsthand that the general impact of these ads on my well-being is mostly negative. The frequency of clickbait ads and shallow content can overwhelm users and make it hard to differentiate true value and quality from clickbait.
- Frequent users also feel more unsafe because of the data surveillance, which can cause distrust in platforms and further mental health problems
- As I mentioned earlier too, echo chambers created can be very dangerous. They can limit personal growth, and shelter a user from exposure to different perspectives.
Ways to reduce negative impacts:
- I think platforms should be completely transparent about how they use data and how their algorithms work. They could even ask users for feedback about what kinds of data they would be comfortable sharing, and what they would not. This could even give users more control over their data and the kind of ads they see, and help them feel a stronger sense of security and privacy.
- These huge ad revenue-based platforms should also explore more subscription models, or try to employ strategies used by services like Pinboard or Reddit Gold to offer value without relying only on ads.
