The idea feels like sci-fi because you’re so used to it, imagining ads gone feels like asking to outlaw gravity. But humanity had been free of current forms of advertising for 99.9% of its existence. Word-of-mouth and community networks worked just fine. First-party websites and online communities would now improve on that.
The traditional argument pro-advertising—that it provides consumers with necessary information—hasn’t been valid for decades.
I was listing out the costs of advertising broadly (that’s a big one for me), but not every cost applies to every instance. I think my point works just as well without that proviso, though.
I’m curious, where do you stand on the worth it / not worth it question?