Things change slowly, and people get used to the change — even if it’s not for the better.
For example: advertising.
Remember how television used to be free, because it was advertiser-supported? Then came cable. Originally, it was a way to ensure good reception for areas that couldn’t receive a signal. Then came pay channels such as HBO. Without advertising, they showed premium movies, and therefore charged a fee.
But at some point, there arrived regular, ad-supported stations… which charged a fee. And we forgot that the advertisers were supposed to be paying for it. What a gold mine! Suddenly, these corporations were getting money from both the advertisers and the viewers!
And cable companies kept raking in the cash as well, charging — like telephone companies — a multitude of fees. A fee for service, another fee for a “tier” so you can get the channel you want, a fee for the box (required to get the tier), a fee for the remote control.
Which brings me to today’s rant about Comcast. I’m paying a fee for the basic cable. Then I’m paying a fee for digital channels. Then I’m paying a fee for high definition channels. Then I’m paying a fee for the DVR (which is required to get the previous two packages!)… and as of yesterday, Comcast is displaying banner ads — yes, the same kind you see on the web — on my DVR guide.
So, Comcast, my question is this: why am I paying for the DVR service when you are using it to advertise to me?
And my question for the rest of us is this: what will be the last straw? Where will out of control marketers place the ad that finally breaks the camel’s back? When will this explosion of consumer culture finally reach critical mass?
Why are we sheepishly paying people to market to us?
By the way, I removed the pointless, non-revenue-generating Google ads that once lurked at the bottom of this page. I pay to deliver this page to you, I paid for the server and the software, and I pay for the electricity. I pay because I’m certain you wouldn’t pay me to read this.
