NONE: ONLINE-ADS>> Censorship of Advertising on the Internet
ONLINE-ADS>> Censorship of Advertising on the Internet
C. Alpers (tropitie_at_silcom.com)
Fri, 02 May 1997 18:22:02 -0700
Censorship of Advertising on the Internet:
While the general public slowly gains acceptance of the internet as a
major media form, they are bombarded by TV, radio and a variety of print
media with threats and fears about the content on the Web. Whether itís
the ěHeavenís Gateî thing, or a story about a 7 year old finding a
pornography site while surfing the web at the school, there is always
some overly sensational story attached to the internet that is being
sent out by the tabloids and news rooms. Why? Because FEAR sells! Sex
and intrigue are not the only ways to draw attention (paraphrasing a
recent contributor to the digest), fear is also a powerful magnet to
pull in viewers, readers and listeners. In my opinion, this fear
created by outside media has also created a paranoia amongst the
internet community.
I recently submitted a banner ad for my site to a banner exchange
organization which was rejected because they feared that other members
and viewers might not like it. The banner consisted of a small,
tasteful picture of a young woman, in a bikini, sunning on the bow of a
boat while the caption read, 'Bikini Photo Contest! Enter to win! Click
here.' We are running the ad to kick off our, 'family oriented,' bikini
photo contest on our site. I was dismayed and saddened to see that
this harmless ad had been censored. There was nothing pornographic
about it, we were not selling anything obscene on our site, yet
someone's ultra-conservative opinion had tried to quiet our ad campaign. I have
since sent them more prudish versions of the ad, only to be rejected.
Have we over-policed ourselves in hopes of acceptance by the other, more
established forms of media? Will the internet ad agencies and banner
organizations make our decisions on what is suitable and proper for the
entire internet community? Your comments please.
Cindy Alpers
Tropi-Ties, Eízine and Catalog
...everything for the tropical traveler
http://www.tropi-ties.com
tropitie_at_silcom.com
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