Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

> So I don't learn why I didn't get a job I definitely wouldn't want. Perhaps not the ideal outcome, but not far from it.

Would you say the same about the house you wanted to buy/rent or the loan you needed? It just makes it easier to hide discrimination that would otherwise be illegal. At least the bigoted HR person in charge of screening applicants is probably not someone you'd interact with once hired.

> I'd rather be manipulated by ads that are better targeted to me.

I doubt I can change your preference for targeting advertising, but I will offer you a few perspectives on the subject you might not have considered:

It was manipulation through ad targeting that made that whole Cambridge Analytica situation such a problem.

Targeted ads artificially limit what new products and services you get exposed to only those things companies "think" you want, or what advertisers want you to buy, or whatever will make them more money vs things you might really be into or prefer if you'd had the opportunity to hear about them. It allows them to shape culture and segregate populations. This is a similar problem to the "filter bubble" found in search engines.

knowing that we're vulnerable to advertising, I'd much rather be tricked into forming an irrational association linking happiness, or acceptance, or well-being and a product that I know I'll never or rarely buy than have that kind of trickery influence my choice between two products of a category I buy often.



Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: