this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2024
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Enshittification

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What is enshittification?

The phenomenon of online platforms gradually degrading the quality of their services, often by promoting advertisements and sponsored content, in order to increase profits. (Cory Doctorow, 2022, extracted from Wikitionary) source

The lifecycle of Big Internet

We discuss how predatory big tech platforms live and die by luring people in and then decaying for profit.

Embrace, extend and extinguish

We also discuss how naturally open technologies like the Fediverse can be susceptible to corporate takeovers, rugpulls and subsequent enshittification.

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YouTube has to be a scam. (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 hours ago by nicgentile@lemmy.world to c/enshittification@lemmy.world
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Above is one of my 2 year old nephew's favourite channels. He watches them everyday. For his parents who work from home, it's the greatest thing. If an ad comes up, he cries and they know something is up.

However, they are clicking the ok button on the TV far too often per video cause of this.

They run that 90+ sponsored content so frequently it's become crap. I've seen Land Rover ads, the one above is a house, and the most annoying is when they run other cartoons like Thomas the Tank Engine or something. If the kid wanted that, no problem. But right now the singing cats are his jam. Cars, property? Someone is paying actual money to get ads in front of 2 year old kids?

Tell me this isn't a scam.

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[–] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 10 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

You seem to forget that not all advertising is targeted. Some is just general market advertising and will play everywhere.

It's cheaper because it's not targeted, but also can be a better option depending on what you're trying to market and who you're trying to reach. It also means the ads will play to people who don't care as a side effect.

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Untargeted advertising is a waste of money with todays technology

[–] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 2 points 54 minutes ago

Not at all. It just depends on who you're trying to reach. If your target demo isn't very specific, you could get many more views at a lower cost.

If your product is only relevant to 18-35 year olds then that's probably not a good idea. But if your target demo is basically anyone, then general marketing works well. A Nissan Leaf has a much larger potential market than an Audi E-Tron for instance.

You can also have separate targeted marketing to ensure specific demos get more focus or have specific targeted variations of the ad campaign.

[–] Kaiyoto@lemmy.world 5 points 1 hour ago

Tell them to go onto the YouTube kids website or the app and make a kids account. It doesn't have ads and that show is on there.

[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 19 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Capitalism is all scams now, man. Been that way for a while. Even the top dogs are all committing fraud and are above the law. Its not gonna get better, it will always get worse for profits.

[–] Gingerlegs@lemmy.world 6 points 2 hours ago

They all finally figured out that government moves slower than they can fuck the consumer

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 6 points 2 hours ago

The ads aren't for the kids, they're for the parents and grandparenta that put their toddlers in front of YouTube.

Like, what are they really going to advertise to a toddler?

[–] kitnaht@lemmy.world 8 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Yarrr

Sonarr Radarr Lidarr

etc.

[–] GBU_28@lemm.ee 4 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

This is the channel setting it that way. I'm not defending YouTube, but the channel knows exactly what they are doing.

[–] nicgentile@lemmy.world 0 points 3 hours ago (2 children)

To blast ads to the wrong target audience? At some point, the ad owner will see a decline in returns. We had 1 million views and less than 0.1% returns in the form of enquiries/sales. Seems like a totally bad investment.

[–] palebluethought@lemmy.world 10 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

Putting ads targeted to parents on kids' shows is as old as kids' shows, man. That's not a new thing or specific to YouTube

[–] littletoolshed@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

This is the most poignant comment in the whole thread - this not YouTube, this is video advertising and it has been this way for 75+ years

[–] nicgentile@lemmy.world 0 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (2 children)

But the parents aren't watching the ads or the shows They are in the working from home office. So all they do is press ok and move on. But I can see your point.

[–] jqubed@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

The algorithm doesn’t know that they’re not there

[–] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

It's not just targeting parents. It's also general market advertising. Some ads are meant to be played widely, usually to increase general brand awareness and aren't targeted. Those ads will play everywhere ads are enabled, regardless of the demographic.

[–] BroBot9000@lemmy.world 8 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

They are targeting the parents who are stuck skipping the ads for their children.

[–] nicgentile@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

OK. I can see this, but they aren't watching it themselves. Anyway, must make sense to someone. Newpipe has spoilt me and I am grateful for this.

[–] BroBot9000@lemmy.world 5 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

I don’t understand it either. My reaction to seeing an ad for anything is the exact opposite of wanting to purchase it.

I’ve spent enough time setting up ad blockers to thankfully avoid this bullshit but fuck they are really pushing ads hard these days.

[–] nicgentile@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

This.

Parent comes, sees the content isn't what the kid should be watching, presses OK and goes back to work. They don't watch the ad. They have mental filters setup cause they left their kid watching singing cats and if it isn't singing cats, they move on.

[–] BroBot9000@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

I’m all with you there but clearly some people are stupid enough to fall for it.

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

George Carlin

[–] synapse1278@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago

If it's an Android TV -> SmartTube

[–] Tazerface@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Don't childrens' TV shows have ads?

[–] nicgentile@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

To buy houses and cars and cruises and such?