Tiktok's Ad Apocalypse is Worse Than You Think

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Tiktok time. Tiktok ads. Tiktok drama. Buzzword. Search terms. TIktok. Viral. Drama. CHARLI DAMELIO??? Not charli damelio. i don't even talk about her. sorry guys. feel like i let us all down here.
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[@roramdin]

Get an exclusive ​⁠Surfshark deal! Enter code RORAMDIN for an extra 3 months free at surfshark.deals/roramdin

[@evalinebledsoe3843]

I am buying 100 surfshark accounts just for you Ro

[@losunicorno]

me when I see the shark surfin

[@lh9761]

Aw dang You missed the opportunity to pull an 'adpocalypse'

[@madsstokes]

Ro videos are 75% metaphors and 20% philosophy and 5% cinematography that should win an Oscar.

[@roramdin]

Dude i already won an oscar last year for best fortnite streamer

[@Sevenpuddingsx]

Ro Ramdin performed the Heimlich Maneuver on my dad when he choked on shrimp and got my mom to quit smoking. Thanks Ro! 👍

[@sporkspork8446]

basedist and truest thing ive ever heard

[@respect386]

Incredibly perfect description

[@sandyjeans5518]

RIGHT LIKE THAT MIRROR SHOT WAS SO GOOD I GOT DISTRACTED

[@Sevenpuddingsx]

When ppl complain about product placement in videos being "obvious and unrealistic" i just look at all the brands constantly surrounding me like the enemy army enclosing my camp to slaughter the men and take the women as hostages

[@Beansquishy]

I agree with what you're saying but I do think its more noticeable in movies and tv because they take place in a fictional ideal world where the characters aren't bombarded by advertisements 24/7 or if they are it's usually relevant to the plot. So when you do see it, it sticks out like a sore thumb

[@fred4997]

Obey.

[@Parvatisplace]

As a trans woman I am conflicted by the fact that getting woman targeted ads may be the only form of validation I get that day. Thanks Unilever!

[@roramdin]

Ur so real for this

[@flowerboi_j5035]

I relate so hard but I'm nonbinary getting both Hers and Hims ads totally messing with the algorithms 😂

[@KORUPTable]

@@flowerboi_j5035 "boi"

[@ringsystemmusic]

@@flowerboi_j5035I think I was at peak non-binary gremlin a year ago. All I ever got were Febreze ads. “Don’t care what gender you are but your room stinks”

[@ewogameing]

i may not be unilever but you go girl!

[@TheFloorIsLava4Real]

The shadow journal has been haunting my fyp. Every 5th tiktok is an ad for the shadow journal. I'll be making dinner and see something scurry in the corner of my eye- one can only assume it is the shadow journal. I wake up in the middle of the night and look to my spouse for comfort, only to be met with the shadow journal. Please help me.

[@tundranone8366]

Would you like to trade for my sleep paralysis demon, Temu?

[@Jogjosmowwdkfs]

I don't even get different ads I get the exact same ad every time. It's how I noticed how many shadow journal ads I was getting

[@maxwellchappell9019]

I block every account that is advertising them, and still they come, there's a million of them

[@toryslapper69]

Hi! Sounds like you'd be interested in my product Light Journal! I make the books myself which is why it costs $89.99 and is soaked in paraffin. All the pages are blank except for one customised double page spread depicting the exact moment of your death with the paper embossed with a time & date and a sigil meant to ward off the Shadow Journal. Simply use this book for kindling to burn your mansion to the ground! Light Journal: keep the shadows at bay.

[@c0smokramer]

everytime I get an ad my vision goes blurry and my ears start to ring and I can feel myself becoming flippy from happy tree friends

[@pineapplecity3769]

YO I LOVE FLIPPY

[@intern_dana]

when i was a smile child, i distinctly remember seeing a mouth wash commerical that mentioned that "dry mouth can cause tooth decay". in hindsight they meant clinical dry mouth, but as a kid, i thought they meant if my mouth was mildly dry it could ruin my teeth. for weeks i *had* to have a water bottle in my hand at all times. i eventually grew less anxious about going without water but it never really went away. like i'm 25 now, and i always make sure to have a water on my desk. all this to say: i cannot imagine all the weird little ways internet advertising is going to affect kids down the line

[@intern_dana]

hell it really isn't just on the internet; when i watch disney channel with my niece, every other ad is for make up and diet pills and liposuction. it's fucking maddening

[@amoureux6502]

​@@intern_danaI can't believe it's even legal to place those kinds of ads on a children's channel

[@Iquey]

I mean, it's good to be hydrated, but yeah your mouth should make enough saliva as long as you're not smoking or vaping a lot or hitting the bong or dab torch every day.

[@emilykraken2804]

Omg yes as a kid I remember an ad for conditioner that said it would prevent flyaway hairs, and I interpreted that as your hair could actually fly away from your head, leaving you bald.

[@liliesstarlight]

well the growing number of young girls, as young as 12 are already obsessing over their looks and worried about wrinkles thanks to the amount TikTok videos promoting beauty products. heck, I have seen a 15 y/o planning on getting plastic surgery! 15!!!! one of the many reasons I deleted tiktok was absolutely this. too many videos talking about beauty to make people buy skincare products and nitpicking on every flaw that I wouldn't even notice I had. so yea. I would say one of the internet advertising effect are young girls already worrying about their looks. not to say that it wasn't happening before this, but at least it was not as bad like right now imo

[@Leftistattheparty]

The rage bait reminds me of the mobile game ads that have a video of someone horribly playing the game and failing at it and saying "are you a noob like this guy?"

[@jumies4056]

YES EXACTLY those ads make me so much less likely to download the game even if the gameplay looks fun lmfao

[@spacescribs5838]

I’m a ad major and I was taught that being able to track peoples data is a good thing and it only made me go further radical

[@SirArthurTheGreat]

Why are you an ad major?

[@peakdelvalle197]

I recently tried to work for a crisis intervention nonprofit and they're a data mine too, it's just everything now

[@spacescribs5838]

@@SirArthurTheGreat I didn’t want to stay home for another year

[@laurendavie1155]

⁠@@peakdelvalle197WOAH what?????

[@665Sunshine]

Radvertisement

[@treydles]

wow i straight up saw ro walking down the street while i was driving home from the gym today (local celebrity ofc she was glowing) and i thought “it would be awesome if there was a new video of hers to enjoy.” the universe smiles on me this day

[@roramdin]

No way did you see me eating a cold chicken tender in broad daylight

[@treydles]

@@roramdin lmao i low key think i did

[@mobiusren]

did you pelt her with ulta cosmetics

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

I wish “consent” would extend to mental & psychological manipulation in media esp advertising & algorithms that exploit our vulnerabilities, which are often in research treated as IPs as well as the algorithms. I don’t think that tech & ad companies should be allowed to have zero public oversight on the IPs.

[@banquetoftheleviathan1404]

you are having the awakening we had in the 2000's where we realised how painful cable commercials are because we got used to pirating everything, so whenever we went to peoples houses who have cable, it cause psychic damage. you build a tolerance to that shit just like adderall and don't know how much it's really fucking with you til you take a break.

[@njdotson]

Oh I kind of have that but because I stopped watching tv shows a while ago

[@conorfromouterspace]

Piracy ftw, and fuck ads

[@FunnyLittleFella]

This is one of those things that makes me kinda glad I'm autistic. Obviously I'm not "immune" to advertising or the general shifts and trends in society brought about by advertising, but at the same time it's just funny that advertisements are just so bullshit and superficial in a way that other autistic people and I just have zero tolerance for. Whenever I see an ad I just get so annoyed that it's getting in the way of me otherwise enjoying something that I make a conscious effort to NOT buy the thing being advertised. Like wow good job guys your ad was so shit I'm never going to buy your sugary cereal ever again, congrats, you played yourself. Thank goodness for Adblockers, they make the internet much less of a nightmare.

[@notlurking2128]

(I am also autistic) the only ads that have ever worked on me barr childhood are Pinterest ads cause they don't really get in the way, and they often look similar enough to a Pinterest board picture that you can click on them and then go 'oh, they're selling me something'

[@Mr.InbetweenFX]

As an 'Autistic'? An autistic friend here, I gotta say watching ads is a painful experience with most neurotypical people who don't see it like we do. Often times I mask and pretend it's just not my bag or simply didn't impact me. Honestly though, I see people react to ads as if it were a project or some type of media made by either a close friend or somebody who cares about them in some capacity- and it's extremely frustrating to see. I don't know, I'd like to give some perspective to those who don't have autism yet have used psychedelics. (In my autistic human experience) when you're tripping on LSD (or any other psychedelic honestly), and you observe any real interaction between other people who're completely sober- you get this overwhelming feeling that what's happening there isn't as deep as it's being accepted as at face value. What's happening with these advertisements is a very cunning mind presenting a feeling and harping on that so as to make you purchase and potentially either fix or acquire that feeling. These corporations present themselves as people and subconsciously encourage you to trust them through purchase. When I see this feeling being so readily accepted it's not only scary it's frustrating and I wish to the moon and back I could tear away at this facade. These corporations mask far better than any one Autistic human ever could.

[@l.2620]

I'm not autistic but I feel the same way about ads. Shits more annoying than anything else

[@HogSlopp]

i also am autistic and i can testify to this entirely. its even worse when watching an ad with neurotypical ppl, my non autistic family get so invested into some of the ads they watch and i cant understand how. i guess they could just be admiring the creative work that gets put into them, but that still leaves them susceptible to corporate manipulation. my dad is the same as me he just ignores them completely.

[@rubydown3329]

I am fully boycotting taco bell simply because their ads gross me out so much. Do other people find close-up shots of people taking giant bites of greasy food appealing?

[@chloed1015]

the awful audio balance in the conservative vid is the realest part of the bit. Their background music is always SO loud and for what

[@faeriegraver]

Right?

[@metamaske6328]

i also find that the way tiktok works primes people to think everyone is selling something or wants some form of accolades from their content. i used to post tiktoks of me painting just for fun but got a lot of comments being like "why would this person think anyone would buy that" and it was so strange to me because i never asked anyone to. i couldn't tag something as "art" without people assumung i was making it for profit, like the idea of sharing the joy of creating for its own sake was alien to them

[@kaleighb7084]

i will never forget the day from my childhood when i realized that “unboxing youtubers” were just paid to advertise those toys and didnt just actually enjoy them… now im a highschool senior and i see my little sister fall into the same traps with the same youtubers

[@sharkshannon]

i always say i plan on banning “surprise toys” from my house when i have kids because there’s something so awful to me about creating a toy where the fun part is opening it and not actually playing with the toy

[@georgeandrews1394]

​@@sharkshannon That got me thinking about toys that come in a puzzle box. Like a rubix cube that opens up when you solve it and you get a little toy astronaut or something. Then you can put other things in the box and resolve it. That would be cool. Different from what you're talking about, though.

[@teddy-fl6hm]

yesterday i saw a tiktok ad for gut health i watched it for a few minutes than the lady in the ad starting talking about 9/11 and i started crying

[@Iquey]

The shadow journal makes me so annoyed. I had a "shadow book" when I was 11 and my dad found it, read it, and tossed it in the trash because he thought the contents were too dark and probably got scared a teacher would find it and realize I had been abused. Caused me irreparable trust issues honestly, and now anything i write sensitive thoughts in, looks very normal and boring that you wouldn't be able to spot it easily

[@amyreynolds27]

I think Internet Shaquille has one of the best approaches to sponsorships/ads on this platform. He always says “Brand Name has paid to be mentioned at the end of this video,” and the ad segment is very distinct from the rest of the video - even when his own brand is the sponsor. The transparency makes me almost more willing to give it a chance.

[@lionelkentler]

i agree, and he’s just awesome in a lot of ways

[@hoss3061]

I thought you were talking about Shaquille O'Neal at first

[@brandonlrushman2870]

I swear if I have to see/hear that Tiktok ad “I see you” annoying whisper, I’m going to delete all my social media platforms and stop using a phone all together! 🙌🏻 It’s so annoying!

[@magnificloud]

Ro Ramdin makes my discomfort feel more comfortable. Like I can think about problems alongside someone who thinks similarly enough to me for me to feel safe, but different enough for me to open my perspective :)

[@chupawup4517]

The temu backpack ad has been plaguing me for the past 3 weeks

[@ThinkpieceTribe]

New Ro upload time to inject it into my veins!!

[@roramdin]

Ty lonnie ily

[@funeralpyreee]

not playing celeste currently instead working on my “great american novel” as my dad calls it (deadass just about lesbians stuck in a never ending loop and cycle of death and war and their attempt to break out of it) but still a great video to work on that to!

[@thegeekclub8810]

Dang, I want to read that.

[@charcoalangel7536]

That is one supportive Dad!

[@faeriegraver]

I want to read this novel

[@Ethan-qs7fo]

One of my favorite ad segments ever was on a vodcast where they read it in the most monotone voice without glancing at the camera once. It felt so purposeful, like "hey, we need money, but we aren't gonna pretend like were invested in this company"

[@drousey2unes]

i love the way you film videos the camera angles are delicious

[@drousey2unes]

thanks for the heart yummy video btw (i haven't finished it yet 🗣‼️🔥)

[@connerblank5069]

I still maintain the opinion that advertisement as a concept is in the running for most evil thing humanity has ever invented.

[@Noah-lo9vb]

RO UPLOAD. DROPPING EVERYTHING. NO PRESSURE TO UPLOAD MORE THAN YOU WANT TO BUT WHOA WOW. HWOA.

[@tortpleaser]

A Tik Tok quasi-ad trope that irrationally annoys me is when influencers wear the same outfit or distinctive accessory (e.g., novelty sunglasses) in all of their videos. I know that this strategy to cultivate "brand recognition" is nothing new, and I can't really articulate why it bothers me as much as it does when I see it in short-form video content.

[@amoureux6502]

My personal least favorite is ads that are like "I'm so sad to announce I'm closing this jewelry line. Buy it now 😔"

[@gilgaws]

Hey, it’s the body on Mount Everest again, just rolled out of the sixteen feet of snow and sludge to listen to this video off of a 1954 radio-phonograph, off to beat Ben Shapiro to a pulp. Thanks again, Ro!

[@jougjimmadome]

your car parody section is so crispy fried it feels like it's chewing directly on my brain stem. 10/10

[@paulpinecone2464]

I totally agree with your concern about embedded ads. This merging of content and paid promotion is demeaning our public discourse and blunting our discernment. Won't somebody think of the children? All of this has made me so upset that I find the only thing that comforts me is turning to my Shadow Journal to regain my equilibrium and alignment.

[@imjusterykah9859]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@leolion3323]

Pretty happy with my choice to stop using most social medias besides tumblr. But the tumblr team sure are doing their best to deter me with awful updates around every corner.

[@PMickeyDee]

As a mom, its so weird, I feel a need to protect my son from advertising more stringently than so many other things.

[@amoureux6502]

My dad used to tell us that if someone is good enough at marketing they could sell you a dirty diaper and it certainly didn't stop us from wanting every toy we saw on TV but it did keep us a bit more skeptical than we might otherwise be

[@bencovey3061]

Something about ending the speech at the end of the video with a midroll (Charmin toilet paper) really fuckin hit me in the gourd

[@daisy4542]

I have got so many ads for freeze dried skittles.. and now I want to try them. next time I see them in a store theyre going right into my purse and I'm walking out

[@purkthemerc]

minimizing consumerism while constantly barraged by ads for things i literally don’t care about is like drip water torture. the giant insulated sippy cups specifically. there are so many ads for those. i don’t know when i’m going to get hit with an ad anymore, and i have no idea if or when there is a breaking point that will make me mildly and irreversibly homicidal towards the white women i see buying giant insulated sippy cups at every store i have walked into for the past six months

[@redrooster3420]

Hi idk if you will see this but it'd save my brain soooo much if you could add captions to your videos, please! I have audio processing disorder and it's been increasingly impossible to get through videos without correct captions put in.. But I'd love to watch more of your stuff when it comes out... So please, if you see this, consider adding your script into the captions for future videos! Accessibility shouldn't have to be a luxury, and your art deserves to be enjoyed by more disabled/Deaf people people too! :( Take care!

[@goldensloth7]

yes please

[@supersleepyboys]

agreed!!

[@jasminelambert3753]

I so wish KZbin still had the option for viewer-submitted captions. Hiring a captioning service is prohibitively expensive for most creators and viewer-submitted captions made it completely free for creators. Truly don’t understand why KZbin took that feature away

[@capobucciarati8324]

Tyler Oakley in like... 2015 ? Did this huge campaign to have his viewers caption his and other creator's videos for people who were hard of hearing, and I absolutely LOVED captioning videos bc of how tedious it was lol. Ik captioning services are expensive so I don't blame creators, but man, auto-generated captions feel SO off lately it pisses me off. Ro if you need a caption guy hmu Lmao

[@sillyguyharlen]

Do you find the regular embedded captions to be incorrect? I know that it does seem to struggle with word vomit and assumes a lot but the majority of the time she’s pretty much inline with ro. Also remeber to change the caption style to something u like! Generic arial white text in black box is so intrusive and ugly

[@pupbrother8711]

Getting the Shadow Work Journal ads back to back with the electronic Pop It games feels like such a brutal read

[@Lemmelly]

THANK YOU for pointing out the Chevy ad in the barbie movie. The way they shot it was so exactly like a car commercial, it was unsettling.

[@HazelwithaZ]

The shift in focus for motherhood from domestic to child-centered is pretty clear looking back. Reminds me of the PSA ads in the 80s asking, "It's 10pm. Do you know where your children are?" 😅 Today's helicopter parents could never.

[@caitie8921]

This reminds me of my favorite integrated ads, the ones that show up in (gay) Chinese dramas and animations. Absolutely hilarious. The characters just take a brief diversion away from the political drama to talk about cornetto ice cream or a Really delicious brand of walnuts.

[@cassynedelisky796]

I’ve stopped using TikToks because the ads have been so bad lately.

[@LunaWitcherArt]

Most of the content I watch is usually peer-reviewed. I experience Reddit through KZbin, I experience Tumblr and Twitter through Pinterest, experience online drama on Twitter and TikTok through KZbin, etc. Since I have YT Premium (family account, not my initiative), the only places I see ads are websites and pinterest, and that annoys me enough. I can't imagine living like the kids and teens of today are. I would have gone insane already.

[@fishbrain9591]

5:18 I demand financial compensation for the amount of psychological damage I took from Ro not immediately following this line up with "a game theory"

[@Bl4k3.]

the ads on tiktok drove me soooo crazy i had to delete it

[@esther8041]

after every 2-3 tiktoks is an ad it’s so frustrating!! ruining the user experience

[@zerkoff]

im eating w ro ramdin today i got pizza

[@Ethan-qs7fo]

I ALSO HAVE PIZZA

[@raddestoflads7771]

Bro what kind

[@maaaarseeelooooo]

i have chaparritas (chilean food)

[@plastikchild]

I just had pizza 😩

[@sleeveharveyoswald5473]

DUDE ME TOO!!

[@versumil]

every time I see an ad about freeze dried candy on my tiktok fyp I wanna throw my phone across my room, cause like. why. why would you want to spend MORE money and wait for shipping just for a crunchy version of the same exact candy you can get at a grocery store for cheaper.

[@spagheleton]

this isn't that related, but as a marketing major (sorry), it honestly depresses me when people, ESPECIALLY grownass adults, engage with tiktok/twitter content made by brands as if it's by one person. no, there is no silly little intern. that is an entire team of people. they WANT you to think it's a silly little intern. every move is calculated and discussed and scheduled and queued. brands are not your friends

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

Adverts make my eyes glaze over and dissociate. Yes even sponsors. I despise adverts so intensely my body has a visceral reaction to it. It absolutely helps I didnt grow up with cable tv, only movies on cds. (Remember those? Haha yea I miss owning shi)

[@benjaminsmith3645]

same i simply refuse to watch them if i can avoid it in ANY way. it’s just so mind numbing

[@TheRaymanFan]

the most egregious examples ive seen is when pages will do something subtle but absurd to farm comments and it works every time. like there was one where a guy was pouring ingredients into a mixing bowl and there was just a skyrim disk at the bottom of the bowl while he poured things in and i looked at the comments and lo and behold, everyone was pointing that out. same thing with this one where someone was putting stuff in a blender and there was still plastic wrapping on one of the ingredients when they put it in the blender and switched it on, and everyone was saying "omg u left the packaging one it wtf" and making jokes like that wasn't exactly what they wanted to happen for the sake of engagement. i hate the current internet algorithm centric trends

[@BunnyDanger]

Oh another comment! In highschool I was thinking of going into marketing (awful, I know) and there was sooo much emphasis on "building your personal brand," and now that has seeped into everything, for every person. Social media is our platform to advertise our personal brand, to market ourselves. It's nausea inducing!

[@espinita.]

I do all i can to block ads. I have a forked version of KZbin, use dns settings to remove ads, shut out internet access to apps that dont need it and avoid going to places with ads. Whenever i see an ad its a shock

[@conorfromouterspace]

I avoid tv, and use ublock and sponsorblock, and revanced on phone obviously

[@tomnyskull]

Growing up my mom would buy these expensive shakes cause they were advertised as super healthy for you. I decided to read all the labels and research the ingredients to show her proof that their claims were bullshit, im honestly grateful for that experience cause i still do that with anything i buy and it made me less supceptible to advertising in general

[@ndx_]

Instagram chat themes are also ads. And i AGREEE ITS CLAUSTROPHOBICCCC I HATE ITTT THEYRE EVERYWHEREEE

[@oops_all_alessi]

Ro’s videos make me question whether or not I speak English

[@definitelynotashark1799]

This is such a wild ride, I haven't seen an actual commercial on a screen, except for when going to the cinema, in like eight years. Everything from my android TV box to my work phone is thoroughly adblocked. Sometimes I catch friends watching KZbin and they get ads and I'm like.. wtf are you even doing? I simply could not deal. The actual reason I don't use my iPad for watching KZbin or similar apps is that it's still under warranty so I don't want to jailbreak it yet.

[@hx0ad5]

i'm very grateful that being autistic has pretty much given me total immunity to advertising (though that's not a universal autistic thing, there's plenty of autistic folks who are more susceptible to advertising for kind of similar reasons but the flipside of it) but i feel like it makes me find stuff like this even more horrifying. my best friend uses tiktok a lot (i've never downloaded it) and i get freaked out by stuff she talks about that she's seen on there

[@macrograms]

The amazing thing that happened today: Facebook upped engagement efforts in code update, twitter farms out dubious advert update, youtube creator metrics glitch out like a dead slug's spit and tiktok is ... still just tiktok. :)

[@l33machine]

I'm an artist going into graphic design bc it's the only field I feel will pay my bills right now as well as utilize my skills. Ugh, I think about this every day. Although graphic design isn't always about advertising, it's still about curating an image for companies to give a certain feel and message. I would feel like shit if I had to design an image for a company like bp or Amazon, just sending a message that these companies are something that they're very much not. I would much rather design for local businesses and organizations than big corpos and I hope that's what I can do! But I still worry about having to work somewhere big and nasty because it's my only option. I don't think it will be but damn if I don't feel bit gross about my career choice because it's so heavily intertwined with advertising and making people want to buy stuff.

[@apparentlyasun]

I feel the exact same way. When I was watching this video I was like "Yea a lot of this they tell us explicitly in our classes" I'm really passionate about product and surface design but I also don't want to be put in a corner to promote terrible people or make things that just annoy people and make them more unhappy.

[@lazilylapis676]

​@@apparentlyasunhave something similar, i went into an illustration trade and constantly got told to 'sell my art' during presentations and i kept telling them im here to learn im not planning on selling anything, but it wasnt taken seriously and i had to. Advertizing is in everything. Couldnt even escape it in my own learning

[@nentendomofo]

Loved that little blurry mirror shot. Your cinematography is refreshing and unique.

[@christopherlittleton8179]

The section filled with ads was amazing. It made me sick to my stomach seeing those videos.

[@emdeo]

The Joy Of Not Being Sold Anything

[@iggyelle]

I am the rare person that is mostly impervious to advertising, though i'll admit there is something about the way internet ads are that's much more sinister. Maybe it's how they look like someone filmed them on a phone with someone they found on fivver. You pause and think about those cute overalls even if you know they're just some drop ship company reselling shit they bought off Wish and the fabric is going to be disgusting and cheap. If they send anything at all. It's all so dark and tiresome. I actually had to download a browser (for mobile) that specializes in adblocking because it's impossible to go anywhere online without ads half covering the article you're trying to read. That's fucked! Anyway, great video as always ❤ Your talent is truly astonishing.

[@cassinipanini]

if you're impervious to advertising why go through the effort to find and install a browser specifically meant to block ads?

[@RagnarokHybrid]

I think this video, and the conclusion, especially, helped me contextualize this sense of overwhelm and exhaustion I feel whenever I scroll KZbin or Instagram (to a lesser extent). It's like seeing all the poppy thumbnails and and explosive text and "follow for mores" fills me with the same kind of dread or overstimulation I might feel if I walk into a grocery store with no idea what I went in there for. More likely to leave without getting anything (and feeling sad) or to buy something I didn't actually want and will certainly regret than to feel good about whatever I got. Watching a video or seeing an insta reel is obviously less dire a consequence than impulse buying something at a store but the experience as a whole is just as draining, I feel.

[@merediths.693]

the republican in the car bit made me cackle so much that I almost spit my tea out. your creativity and genius know no bounds, Ro---another banger as always

[@CatFish107]

Does 'Merican Ro have a secondary channel? I would subscribe instantly for occasional over the top unhinged rants about "what the Christ are they on about now?" incomprehensible topics.

[@Thr3-Words]

That car rant was so well done that I kind of lost my balance Edit: That synth pad running in the background towards the end is a masterpiece. Where /how can I hear more of your music?

[@emmabreukink]

I had to unsubscribe from your Patreon because I'm a student who's struggling too, but it broke my heart because I want to support your art however I can. You say everything that I'm thinking way better than I ever could, and I'm beyond excited to watch your channel continue to grow ❤

[@xiphoid.process]

honestly thank you SO much for making this. ive been thinking this for months and its been driving me insane. also, i really appreciate the style of your videos. its really refreshing to see videos so original and thoughtful compared to the usual copy paste commentary youtuber format

[@lisahoshowsky4251]

My KZbin shorts suddenly have ads and they’re pervasive. It’s like every fourth video and they’re for either really corporate things or really scummy apps, there’s no in between. Also, my parents have cable to still and I’ve noticed pop up ads in the middle of shows!! So you literally have an ad break, go back to the program, and op here’s another ad blocking half the screen so you can’t see the show. It’s wild how pervasive advertising is even to non social media users.

[@SebastianSeanCrow]

3:27 it’s funny you mention that cuz I’ve gotten like 5 FYP videos about that exact thing today All saying at the bottom “paid sponsorship”

[@katyawc]

not to be old but I remember getting online literacy lessons in like 2006 alongside our typing/kidpix activities. Did they just like stop doing that because "kids have iphone, they must implicitly know whats an ad or not?"

[@chemiKalz]

Half the ads on TikTok are likely scams too

[@melaniestangl]

Appreciate this video, Ro. Advertising absolutely drives me crazy and it's just getting more insidious all the time. Can't imagine being an impressionable child right now. Thank you for talking about it in such a thought-provoking and entertaining way, as always.

[@b000tsy]

Only at 12:00 rn but I just wanna say I adore the way u shoot your videos Ro. this shot with the plant and books and the mirror, its so simple but gorgeous. I love the way u record within ur home but always keep it exciting, & visually engaged w the topics ... the lighting, coloring, composition, idk the attention to detail always stands out to me. I have to rewatch your videos to rly take them in and I enjoy that about them, that I keep having more to pull from the vids as i rewatch. I find the way u convey ur ideas inspiring :P

[@chaschuky999]

Idk about the rest of what this video said, but 20:00 really spoke to me on a deep level.

[@cass422]

obsessed with that mirror shot 🫶

[@ToplessTopics]

I still can't believe I'm so old that I remember when KZbin first started and any creator who tried to profit from their work in any way was EVISCERATED by their fanbase for having the NERVE to want any kind of compensation for the endless amount of time they put into producing free content. When did that change? Probably when every youtube viewer started thinking they might become a youtube star, too. (see also: we can't start taxing billionaires because then when I become a billionaire, I'll have to pay taxes!")

[@ixfindxhope]

Great video as usual. The engagement bait section was 👩🏻‍🍳💋

[@ashtheprofessor]

I fear that one day these apps will learn to advertise like you because wow I didn’t even skip your ad

[@judyindisguise]

Ro I just have to point out- the mirror shot is absolutely stunning. Really well done.

[@thebaccathatchews]

From Futurama: Leela: Didn't you have ads in the 20th century? Fry: Well, sure, but not in our dreams. Only on TV and radio. And in magazines and movies and at ball games, on buses and milk cartons and T-shirts and bananas and written on the sky. But not in dreams. No, sir-ee!

[@yeahreally9185]

Was feeling pretty existential today. Glad to see I'm not the only one

[@SantaFishes101]

I think since brands are not likely to change course for a long time, we have to work hard at educating children very young about advertising and what it means, how to spot it and avoid its pull/impact. how to avoid the emotional pull to products.

[@SnoFitzroy]

it's just like stranger danger at this rate. if a person says your parents want them to pick you up, don't go with them! If a download button appears when you didn't ask for one, don't click it!

[@yeahreally9185]

Or we could just legislate it. Putting the onus on the individual rather than the companies who perpetrate the abuse is going to work just as well as me putting my plastic in the recycling bin while Exxon is still "spilling" millions of barrels of crude oil into the ocean. Not every child has the luxury of having educated parents to guide them. Some have no parents at all. They should not be left vulnerable because the government we created to protect us spurned their responsibilities.

[@SantaFishes101]

@@yeahreally9185 "just legislate it" is the problem. it's not that simple or easy, and takes a long time. so in the meantime, while we protest and try to change/create laws, I believe children deserve to know who is manipulating them and how to avoid becoming victims.

[@SantaFishes101]

@@SnoFitzroy lol yeah. if only either one were that simple in reality though.

[@fiend-ish1090]

i remember the canadian government used to make a lot of psa's about this in the 2000s to 2010s, but idk if they really do that anymore. its hard to think of how they would distribute psa's widespread like that without cable bc of the unpredictability of the internet

[@autumn-vl5ez]

I'm starting to realize by not ever having Tiktok I am completely ignorant to so many issues other people have and it's kind of hilarious.

[@Iquey]

🥺 I'm from the Seattle area too so when i saw those trees and shopping centers during the grunge vibes vaporwave ending i was like "those look familiar😮" 😂 yes i enjoyed the video very much.

[@AamuAurora]

I've been working as a tiktok mod since few months. My disappointment is immeasurable, everyday I cringe at their idiocy.

[@benbriggsmusic]

Outro beat is fantastic

[@Huntracony]

I often hear how people find great videos on TikTok and how the algorithm got them interested in new communities they didn't even know existed, which then makes me think I should get TikTok, but then I always hear new and exiting ways in which TikTok is bad and I feel relief for not having to deal with that.

[@rainbowpandafish]

Ugh love the way you shot this. The cinnamon topography.

[@mitcharendt2253]

The mirror bit was gold. Thanks for the effort you put in.

[@miyandere]

your videos are not easy content but they go down so nicely. at the end of a grueling capitalist cheek clapping week, seeing a new upload from you made my day

[@CrimesNewRoman]

I highly recommend the book No Logo by Naomi Klein which talks a lot about advertising, branding, and a lot of the sentiments you talk about. The book was published in 1999 so all of these are not new phenomena just taking new forms in the present day.

[@just_some_donkus]

okay i'm really glad that you made this video. I am a weirdo that doesn't use tiktok, almost ever. I've started using it recently because it's fun to make tiktoks of the baking I do professionally. When I decide to scroll instead of post, I felt like EVERY SINGLE THING i saw was some kind of ad??? I was like okay guess I'll go look at something else then. It was so bizarre.

[@CyberGrapeUK]

tbh, the use of "ad-pocalypse" in the title made me think that the video is about the withdrawal of ads on the platform similar to KZbin's ad-pocalypses back in the day

[@cherrysia1]

Love your videos. So well researched, so funny.

[@superedgy9951]

These videos are top quality youtube, thank you so much for putting so much effort and work into them! We really appreciate them!