Advertising Revenue Model
Pros
Advertising revenue models provide free or low-cost access to products and services for users, increasing accessibility and allowing companies to rapidly scale user bases due to low barriers to entry. With ads, the platform can support a wider range of free content and services than would otherwise be viable. The users stay engaged with free content while the platform maintains itself with ads money; it’s a win-win.
Cons
Ad-filled platforms can often result in poor user experiences. Ads can often be intrusive and distracting, and in extreme cases, platforms might fall down the rabbit hole of designing clickbait content for engagement over quality. Users might also raise privacy concerns if ads are targeted towards users based on tracked data such as activity and preferences. Being ad-reliant also isn’t ideal during times of economic downturn since platforms will have less clients buying ads and make less profit.
Impact on Individual Well-being
The advertising revenue model can result in social media addiction as ads target particular interests of the user. I believe that children or older populations are more susceptible to ad persuasion; they tend to be more naive and unaware of malice on the internet. Unless platforms screen their ads, ads can often be scams or clickbait links to other websites. Dangerous content can be explicit and harm children.
Interventions to reduce negative impacts include stronger privacy regulations limiting data collection and targeted ads, allowing users greater control over ads they see, or promoting advertising literacy and critical thinking skills.
