Theory: search and referrals rarely deliver consumers results for the “best” product or service they are looking for.
Just about every link on any “buyer’s guide” page goes through several hoops of affiliate reference codes. So you have to ask: is this product really the best? Or is the publisher getting the most incentive to say it’s the best. When someone is suggesting you buy something, they probably don’t care if you are happy with your purchase.
Sub-theory: whenever you see something via the internet (computer, phone, streaming TV, etc.) someone is financially incentivized to show you that bit of content.
- Sub-sub-theory: “content” is now anything that is monetized through incremental amounts. Affiliate sales, CPM ads, syndication, etc.
- And yes, there are affiliate links around this site. Most of them are for books. All of them are through anti-monopolistic services.
Sometimes the content creator is getting the incentive, sometimes it is the platform (Meta: we don’t really care what you’re looking at, so long as we’re the ones showing it to you and monetizing your eyeballs). Every other TikTok video is someone trying to sell me something through the platform’s store – which seems rather archaic and has a “company town” vibe to it.
Can we create without needing to monetize?
People are buying more than ever. The recent Black Friday – CyberMonday numbers are, once again, record breaking. We are spending more, but are we getting more? The other side of the equation is how much brands spent on advertising to ensure THEY are the ones who received the sale. Mega-retailers aren’t the best place to buy much of anything, but if all you see is ads for their door-buster sales then you might as well think they are the only place to shop.
Result:
- No one needs to buy 95% of what they spend money on.
- If it’s easier for you, it is harder for someone else. Shopping with mega-stores means less revenue for independent shops/ creators. (Shop small!)
- Data hoovering may be why it is getting worse (bigger?). When you buy, data is collected and then used to sell you the next thing. Ads follow you around, which then collect more data, which is then used to refine what ads are pushed to you. Somewhere on this cycle, we are buying something without knowing why. Does data officially work on a subconscious level?
Don’t answer that.