We are constantly being advertised to online, but what does that mean for our thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs?
Tristan Harris, a former Google employee, believes that online advertising is manipulating our thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs. He argues that we are being programmed to buy things that we don’t need and that we are not being given a choice in the matter.
Harris points to the example of Facebook. He argues that Facebook was designed to be addictive in order to keep us on the site for as long as possible. The more time we spend on Facebook, the more ads we see, and the more likely we are to buy something.
Harris also argues that online advertising is affecting our voting behavior. He points to the example of Cambridge Analytica, which used Facebook data to target specific voters with ads designed to influence their vote.
So what can we do about all this? Harris argues that we need to be more aware of the ways that online advertising is manipulating us and that we need to demand more transparency from the companies that are doing the advertising. We also need to be more mindful of the things that we buy and the things that we share online.
