• tyler@programming.dev
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    1 month ago

    Being exposed to a product that exists is not an ad. An ad is explicitly something that a company has paid to make visible to people. If a company isn’t paying for it then it’s not an ad, no matter how much it sounds like one.

    And yes, going to a store and trying shit out is exactly how it should go. Reading reviews and talking to others is exactly how it should go. Companies paying to manipulate people of the world using psychology is what ads are. Not seeing a product being used in the wild.

    a paid notice that is published or broadcast (as to attract customers or to provide information of public interest)

    • RQG@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 month ago

      And then there is the whole 'we got all their products for free for review purposes. But it totally did not affect our review score. Even though they will stop sending us free shit ahead of release if we give them a bad review. Pinky promise

    • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
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      1 month ago

      People generally don’t realize how many ads are actually on pages. It’s way more than just some search results. Carousels are entirely ads. Home page is almost 100% ads. The men’s pants page, mostly ads. Product comparison or review sites are almost all ad based. Affiliate links are just a way to make ads not look like ads.