Ben Sauer’s Blog

A moment ago I visited boingboing.net (as I often do) and for the first time ever I noticed the top banner ad, instead of applying a mental blind spot like most users do. I was struck by why this happened, and had an idea….

Before I continue, I truly hope that:

1. this idea I’ve just had won’t catch on
2. that its not already in the wild!

During the page load, my browser paused for a moment after displaying the top banner. For a couple of seconds, no other content was visible. Naturally, my attention was drawn to something I’ve never cared for, by virtue of it being the only thing to look at. Now imagine if pauses like this were technically possible (I’m sure they are, and I’ve seen things that are similar but more obvious): could they become endemic?

I should point out: I am obsessed with reducing the amount of advert intrusion in my daily life. I even mute the TV during ad breaks, every time! I believe strongly that advertising/marketing/PR have had an extremely detrimental effect on our mental well-being. Which in a strange way is why I’m drawn to the web: we can choose what we give our attention to.

So why do I point out this tiny moment of my life? Because every time I notice something like this (even accidental), I start to feel uneasy about the ways in which we’re manipulated that we don’t notice. How many am I missing that pass ideas into my brain without my consent?

I believe firmly that if marketing has any fair place in our culture, it needs to be transparent and non-manipulative. What that looks like, I’m not sure yet. Ideas welcome.