OK i know i’ve been hating on Google a little bit these last few days, and i promise this will be the last anti-Google rant. (at least for a little while.)
We’re all familiar with ‘Ads by Google,’ the advertising system that fills every page on the internet with junk that’s vaguely related to the topic of the page itself. Behold mortal, the power of context sensitive advertising. This advertising has recently infected youtube, as if youtube wasn’t infected enough. Now you can expect your videos to be interrupted by cheeky little Ads by Google poking their noses over the bottom of your video. Watching hilarious footage of the world’s biggest cookie? Expect an ad for cookie delivery to sidle its way over to you. “Hey man, looks like you’re enjoying seeing those cookies. You know, i could hook you up with some of those double choc-chip for a very reasonable fee.”
Everyone knows that people in general are suggestible idiots, but up until now it has been the task of advertising agencies to convince us that this is not the case. We are in fact attractive smart-minded citizens who work hard and carefully consider the value, ethical considerations and environmental impact of every purchase. It was a slimy, manipulative system but at least it made me feel good about myself. Now all i get is, “you watch cookie?! YOU BUY COOKIE?!”
A particularly insulting example of this happened to me just this morning. I was getting my geek on, enjoying the third Watchmen trailer in glorious Youtube HD (which actually works really well) when my old friend Adsby of Googleton shows up with the following message:
“ALWAYS HAVE BAD BREATH? SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN METHOD TO ELIMINATE BAD BREATH – fangocur.com/bad_breath”
Goddamn that’s a mood-breaker. But here’s the real kicker, this particular ad is what Google assumes will be relevant to me! I check the tags for the video, and find “geek” “nerd” and “comic book” amongst them. Well thanks a bunch Google! Good work identifying the geeks in the audience and singling them out with some insulting adverts. Bully for you.
Stupid Google. Initiate nerd-sulk.
