On: How Betty, Who Is 89, Gets Her News

[dsp1234]

or really good A/B testing.

"Our A/B testing shows that this design increases ad clicks by statistically significant amount"

[TeMPOraL → dsp1234]

Yeah, with the elephant in the room being that the increase of ad clicks come from tricking users into doing something they don't want to.

[joepie91_ → TeMPOraL]

Well, realistically, manipulating people is what the entire advertising/marketing industry is based on to begin with, so that is hardly surprising.

[TeMPOraL → joepie91_]

True, though sometimes I do feel that a lot of people in there don't realize what they're really doing. It's a kind of a reality distortion field I see around marketers; some of them really seem to think that what they're doing is valuable for the consumer.

[baggachipz → TeMPOraL]

Well, it's their job to make those numbers go up. Which, yes, is in direct conflict with the best interest of their users. But when metrics are set and their livelihood depends on making people click ads more... there you go. The reality distortion field allows them to remain relevant in the eyes of management, as well as feeling a sense of purpose in their role.

[TeMPOraL → baggachipz]

The lesson from that is: All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that men are separated from good by enough layers of abstraction.