this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2023
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Not that this is how it works, but I imagine a diligent algorithm looking at those individuals and that content, and then thinking "mhhmm this will generate maximum revenue!!".
I think that's absolutely how it works (in part). Ads curated toward your demographic! Maybe it's not inherently purposeful, but it's harmful, nonetheless.
In a subr×ddit about alcohol recovery? "Our algorithm detected that your post history contains the word "alcohol" or "beer" a lot! We will tailor your ads to cater to your interests for maximum profits!" Boom. There you go.
It takes the human aspect out of the community and drives it to become harmful at worst and soulless at best.
Even more than that, you have the idea that 'similar users to yourself buy a lot of alcohol, so you probably will too'. Of course alcoholics, whether attempting recovery or not, are likely to buy alcohol. So if you're a recovering alcoholic, 'similar users to yourself' are gonna be buying more alcohol than usual, and so you'll see ads for it. Totally heartless and just for-profit.