Most of My Instagram Ads Are for Drugs, Stolen Credit Cards, Hacked Accounts, Counterfeit Money, and Weapons
Most of My Instagram Ads Are for Drugs, Stolen Credit Cards, Hacked Accounts, Counterfeit Money, and Weapons
The ads are a window into a blatantly illegal underground economy that Meta is not only failing to moderate, but is actively profiting from and injecting into users’ feeds.
ITT: People who are so quick to suggest ad blockers they miss the point of the conversation.
44Now here's the exact problem with the so called "personalized" ads, that Google and Facebook serves what the advertisers think you want to see, instead of what you actually want to see.
This is the fundamental conflict of interest which the obvious conclusion is that online banner/video advertisements doesn't work, and has never worked, because ultimately, no matter how many times you shove ads in people's faces via a thoughtless machine, you can't "trick" people into liking something. What people want is thoughtful, sincere recommendations by real people, which is why we have seen the rise of sassy brand Twitter accounts being so successful for a time: because there is a real person behind it.
(Of course, it's really funny if you take blatant advertisment to its logical extreme, and even that seemed more effective.)
Of course, Google and Facebook will never admit that they've been lying to everyone and themselves for more than a decade, because to do so is to admit that their entire business of Web 2.0 was built on an absurd and illogical premise of again, if you show people ads for things they never asked for a thousand times, then you can brainwash them into liking something.
In other words, Google and Facebook's entire advertisment business model, if you really think about it, is really no different than pick-up artist logic, and. They. Just. Won't. Go. Away.
25You're clearly a known customer for those products :p The algorithm is never wrong..
23Drugs or Chinese scam products. Had a friend tell me he ordered something that never showed up, turned out they sent these super cheap toothbrushes in the mail and then tried to use that tracking info as proof he received what he bought. They just allow anyone who will pay to advertise illegal shit, scams, whatever it's the wild West.
21lucky 😮💨 all mine are weight loss scams and laptop deals
21If I pay more can I get some ads for drugs, money, and weapons?
14Preamble to the shitty internet bills that will get passed on a holiday weekend at 2am?
6says something
5Where I live it's largely the same though on facebook marketplace and not on instagram. Counterfeit money, weapons (which are almost completely illegal where I live, even basic non-lethal things like pepper spray and tasers) and more than anything prostitution. The thing is, these are "sponsored ads" which are all supposedly screened and approved manually. Also you can report them and Facebook won't take them down.
Before someone suggests it cause I've seen this response a couple times in this thread already: No, I am not searching those things or related products on Facebook or elsewhere on the web.
Also Met's estimate that only 1 out of every 2000 ads violates their policy is straight up laughable. There's no way they themselves believe that. I would say at least 25% of the ads I see are of this nature. Literally dozens a day.
3Well sir. Given that the algorhythm designed for procuring that content is literally the best at its job bar none. And having also had personal experience with this. One of two things or both is happening. #1 you like to partake in partying and you seek that out sometimes. And the software knows that. #2 you associate with drugs dealers who are in your social media circles.
Let's be clear. This content isnt shown to you just because. Its being shown to you because you have displayed a pattern of seeking where these items come into play or you talk to people who regularly engage in this.
I'm a 28 year old man. I have never been shown a targeted advertisement for feminine hygiene products. Also I had never seen advertisements on social media for literal drugs and shit until I went thru a phase where I developed a pretty bad coke habit for a while and had a lot of dealers in my phone.
1We thought they would use crime prediction for putting us to jail, but instead they just advertise
1stop following rap/hip-hop artists
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