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90 Percent of Affiliate Ads on YouTube and Pinterest Aren't Disclosed, Says Study (theverge.com)
A new research paper [PDF] from Princeton University has found that 90 percent of affiliate posts on YouTube and Pinterest aren't disclosed to users. From a report: Affiliate links are customized URLs that content publishers can include in their posts. They're essentially ads, and publishers receive money from companies when users click on them. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that content makers identify when they're being paid to post something, but despite that, influencers continue to skirt around disclosures. The FTC has previously sent out letters to influencers reminding them of the requirement to communicate paid relationships with brands to their followers. The paper from Princeton analyzed over 500,000 YouTube videos and 2.1 million unique pins on Pinterest. Of those, 0.67 percent, or 3,472 videos on YouTube, and 0.85 percent, or 18,237 pins, contained affiliate links.
It's Facebook for the faceless.
You are welcome on my lawn.
When I was younger I never would have imagined what a clusterfuck advertising would become. Between privacy concerns and lying and malware distribution and just plain making it frustrating to do even the simplest little thing online, I feel like we're losing (maybe have already lost) everything that was good about the internet. I can't help thinking that the most straightforward fix would be if nobody ever clicked on any ad, EVER. And never bought anything from an ad they see online. I know I do not.
Really?
Before or after:
- Punch the monkey and win the prize! Flash ads WITH SOUND.
- Pop ups with stroke lights and dicks
- Pop UNDERS
- Closing a pop up opens ANOTHER pop up.
It encourages reviewers to give good reviews of bad products. If they say "this sucks, don't buy it" few people will follow the link and make the reviewer cash.
I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust