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Researchers fear a scenario in which smart speakers feed sleepers subliminal ads

sciencemag.org

261–270 of 329 posts

Re: Researchers fear a scenario in which smart speakers feed sleepers subliminal ads

#261
post #74

Calm down, Adam Curtis. I see zero evidence here that researchers can in fact implant anything in someone's dreams. Well, except by playing 3 hours of Tetris. The video "documenting" Coors' effort is a joke ad by Coors bemoaning the fact they can't get into the Superbowl. This is just a bunch of shady researchers trying to gin up some publicity for the !!!!terrifying power!!!! of their work (p = 0.048, one-tailed).

There were people like you 20 years ago that dismissed how absurd it would be that people would willingly buy company microphones connected to the Internet and put them in their houses.

"They laughed at Einstein. They laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the clown."

Re: Researchers fear a scenario in which smart speakers feed sleepers subliminal ads

#262
Honestly, with the amount of ads we see, i really want the shit to hit the fan, and have someone hack the huge ad providers.

I'm talking about literally dumping their whole databases, with all the private data, from "John Smith, interested in bibles and butt plugs", "jane doe, cookbooks and 20inch dildos", "bobby bobberson, marriage help books and a gold necklace" (that his wife didn't get)... Only then will some people get aware that having ad providers stockpile all that personal data is bad, and blindly clicking "i accept the terms and conditions" should be something regulated and not just uninformed consent.

With speakers it's even simpler.. just hack them to play some heavy metal at 3am, and you're done.

Re: Researchers fear a scenario in which smart speakers feed sleepers subliminal ads

#263
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Economic growth is not the solution: it is the problem." -- one single political party in the Netherlands that does not get enough votes

Part of what problem exactly? Do you think modern society would even exist without economic growth being the main driving factor? The idea that people would just sit around creating things for altruistic reasons is a utopian pipe dream. Constantly seeking material growth isn't perfect but it provides more positive aspects than negative ones.

One of the problems is ecological destruction which has increased with economic growth. I would argue that because growth is so unevenly captured by those at the top, a very high gini coefficient is another problem.

Re: Researchers fear a scenario in which smart speakers feed sleepers subliminal ads

#264

We have gotten to the point where the simple (and arguably essential) task of individuals learning about what the economy is producing is degenerating into a societal gangrene. No, this is not all the handywork of Zuck and the "don't be evil" company. All the conditions for their "success" have been engineered in the previous decades of the adoption and scaling of TV tech: The captive population of couch potato, over…

I think it's because if we as a society decided what we all have now is enough, we would have a few good short years until everyone realizes we aren't producing more things and we aren't improving things and we've been left behind economically. In this system, you can't afford to stop and smell the roses because next year, someone else will come and bulldoze the field the roses were planted in.

Re: Researchers fear a scenario in which smart speakers feed sleepers subliminal ads

#265
post #93
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On an Android phone you can use NewPipe app from FDroid repository, it gives you YT without ads (and you can use it in background for free too)

Is there any App that can do the same on Smart TV? Getting tired of ads on Youtube's ads.

I use https://github.com/yuliskov/SmartYouTubeTV

It ah the same UI as youtube, but no ads.

Re: Researchers fear a scenario in which smart speakers feed sleepers subliminal ads

#267
post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if I just take it home and keep it?

It's identical to if you destroyed it. It just adds some risk that you might suddenly mobilize it (hence one of the reasons it's actually illegal for individuals to store large amounts of physical cash for long durations). Also irrelevant anyway from point 1: you're still working to make money, thus you're growing the economy.

There is nothing illegal about storing cash for any duration.

Re: Researchers fear a scenario in which smart speakers feed sleepers subliminal ads

#268

We have gotten to the point where the simple (and arguably essential) task of individuals learning about what the economy is producing is degenerating into a societal gangrene. No, this is not all the handywork of Zuck and the "don't be evil" company. All the conditions for their "success" have been engineered in the previous decades of the adoption and scaling of TV tech: The captive population of couch potato, over…

You make this sound like a boring dystopia, but everything you say about our society is also the case for 1955, only more so. They didn't have adblockers or sponsor block. They didn't have audiobooks (probably available from your local library to) or anything but radio when driving. They had significantly fewer choices and had to endure radio with ads playing whatever they were told to play. Meanwhile the population…

> You make this sound like a boring dystopia

> Don't complain about ads the next time you stand in line and whip out Instagram rather than an ebook.

I can think of nothing more boring or dystopian than Instagram.

> And, shocking to some, most people are not an empty shell inside, although they have desires and things they want.

Happiness levels in the US are at an all time low:

https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2019/the-sad-state-of-happi...

Re: Researchers fear a scenario in which smart speakers feed sleepers subliminal ads

#269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get this. Sure, what you describe sounds like a precious moment. But why is it "stolen" if some company films an ad featuring a similar moment? I assume you wouldn't have the same reaction if you saw two real teenagers doing this, or even saw it fictionalized in a movie financed by some production company hoping to make money. What is it about seeing it in an ad that crosses a line?

As a teen (and an adult) Coca-cola certainly was not a prescriber. Anything they'd show in their ad would be immediately and correctly understood as fake and an attempt to get in. Action, reaction. Most (and my friends didn't care) would get over it but the moment is tainted by the brand. Everyone has a different line not to cross though. Now my line is that this scene is strong, it has meaning. But it doesn't need C…

Fair enough, I think I just lack this feeling that Coca-Cola taints something by association. But I suppose if Blackwater filmed a series of commercials in my neighborhood, I'd be unhappy with that association too, so I think I get the logic now.

Re: Researchers fear a scenario in which smart speakers feed sleepers subliminal ads

#270
post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if I just take it home and keep it?

It's identical to if you destroyed it. It just adds some risk that you might suddenly mobilize it (hence one of the reasons it's actually illegal for individuals to store large amounts of physical cash for long durations). Also irrelevant anyway from point 1: you're still working to make money, thus you're growing the economy.

> hence one of the reasons it's actually illegal for individuals to store large amounts of physical cash for long durations

What county are you referring to? This is not the case in the US [1].

[1] https://josephhollander.com/illegal-large-amounts-cash/

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