Re: Unwanted Audio Ads (why not just turn speakers off?)

From: Tod Foley <info_at_whatyouget.com>
Date: Thu 12 Jul 2001 11:27:07 -0500

This is a fascinating topic; ownership/control of the
media format as opposed to ownership of the media
device. I suspect the answer has less to do with the
newness of the internet as a medium than it does with
the way we relate to our computers in general. And by
"we" I mean our entire culture, not just professionals.
No, I don't bitch at the television and radio
programmers who "take control of my box" for their
purposes. But except for the remote control, I've
never had much control over those boxes anyway; I have
always pretty much accepted whatever came down the
pipe. Except for turning down the sound during
commercials (they really are WAY too loud, except for
the ones that feature the Stone Temple Pilots - those
can't be played loud enough).

Side note: Television and radio commercials have never
been able to come inside and look at my things, arrange
my things, or attach tags to my things. Websites, on
the other hand, do all the above. So that is another
real concern.

But I said our "entire culture", not just professionals;
I suspect that most users aren't aware of the depth to
which their systems are monitored, altered, probed and
tracked. But I've saved the root cause for last, and
here it is: There is something about the computer that
makes it feel like an *extension* of my self - rather
than an external object which delivers things to me.
I believe this is a co-efficient of "interactivity".
The more interactive a device is, the more mastery of
it will feel like a literal extension of the self
(McLuhan wrote some wonderful stuff about this, and
it also ties into Nietzsche's "will to power").
Given this, it makes sense that on some level, many
users will feel *personally violated* when unwanted
content or data manipulation is experienced.

We've all met grumpy customers. But *personally
violated* is a whole 'nother thing, and it thrives out
here on the internet. Be warned!

LVX
Tod Foley



Received on Thu Jul 12 2001 - 11:27:07 CDT