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How Targeted Ads Might Just Save Your Life | Sandersan Onie | TED

Could the tech industry’s complex algorithms support people during their darkest times, rather than just deliver targeted ads? Drawing from his own experience with depression, global mental health researcher Sandersan Onie shows how internet search behaviors can provide valuable insights into suicide risk and potentially help save lives by reaching people in a deeply personal…

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Could the tech industry’s complex algorithms support people during their darkest times, rather than just deliver targeted ads? Drawing from his own experience with depression, global mental health researcher Sandersan Onie shows how internet search behaviors can provide valuable insights into suicide risk and potentially help save lives by reaching people in a deeply personal way, at a crucial moment.

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43 Comments

43 Comments

  1. Sina Madani

    August 10, 2023 at 8:24 am

    I like the idea but something tells me the incentives behind it are driven solely by greed as opposed to compassion. Human connection is such a precious, valuable resource that everyone should have access to regardless of their circumstances. The message ai got from this is that suicidal people are more likely to “engage with ads” and so businesses will try to target suicidal & depressed people. That’s fine if what they’re offering is directly relevant and valuable to those seeking it. It’s not fine to exploit people’s mental health to sell things that don’t really help that person.

    • DAnuchan

      August 10, 2023 at 9:59 am

      This talk is a theoretical. I can’t see google showing any compassion for a person for free.

    • M.K.

      August 11, 2023 at 11:11 am

      Yeah a big corporation saving a human life for a few bucks, disgusting

  2. Houston Hobbyist

    August 10, 2023 at 8:40 am

    Yeah no

  3. Benjamin Dover

    August 10, 2023 at 8:47 am

    Interesting

  4. Cristian Alexandru Cojoc

    August 10, 2023 at 8:51 am

    This open you to scam and many malicious corporation

  5. Shawmeed

    August 10, 2023 at 8:53 am

    how manipulative is it to say that targeted ads can stop suicide if you look at the right ad at the right time? like, maybe it’s happened a couple times you get recommended something that helps, but I don’t think seeing another genshin impact ad would make anyone want to live

  6. Dustin Bruce

    August 10, 2023 at 9:43 am

    TED talks have really gone down hill.

  7. DAnuchan

    August 10, 2023 at 9:56 am

    The algorithm is broken, at least for me. I’ve never seen an ad for a product that I wanted to purchase.

    • pilotreg

      August 10, 2023 at 5:53 pm

      algorithms aren’t broken you just aren’t persuaded by advertisements given to you because the data is outlying

  8. Marc Volpe

    August 10, 2023 at 10:08 am

    TONIGHT LOVE LIFE MAKE PASTA CON BROCCOLI RABE SICILIAN STYLE AND ENJOY

  9. Kenny Gilliland

    August 10, 2023 at 10:27 am

    A sick society produces sick people, our misuse of tech has led us where we are and could not possibly be the answer for saving us from the damage caused. Why not try putting the phone down and finding a life to live instead of depending on crappy tech to provide you with a life prepackaged?

  10. Archontasius

    August 10, 2023 at 11:38 am

    yeah nice try google, i’m not turning targeted ads back on ever

  11. tiago moraes

    August 10, 2023 at 11:48 am

    snoring is probably related to your depressiob. Sleep apnea is a major contributor.

  12. Ana

    August 10, 2023 at 11:59 am

    In Computer Science class we discussed privacy. I am a big advocate for taking advantage of the adds and training your algorithm rather that being afraid of what big companies will do with your info. They’re bad and they sell your info? Maybe the sell it but only so you see an add of those nice shoes ON SALE in a different page and im all for it. Seriously, question yourselves, why would this be bad? This videos is yet another great example of how helpful it can be. I get adds in English and Spanish even though i live in the USA, but i don’t get ones in any other language, and that’s perfect for me

    • Ghislain Bugnicourt

      August 10, 2023 at 1:11 pm

      Sadly in all those debates about privacy, you have to think about the worst case to see how dangerous it can be. The most obvious issue is if a tyrannical system takes over, which is a possibility anywhere, and you happen to fall in a category of people that get imprisoned for thinking in a way, which is interpreted through the algorithm.
      The system shown in this video doesn’t even need to have access to prior searches for most of its results.
      But to be clear, for many including myself, even the “positive” side of ads in general is a big negative because most use manipulation methods to get you to buy stuff. We’re all being influenced by many factors all the time, that’s fine, but when that influence comes from intentional exploitation of psychological biases, for profit, it gets unbearable. For me at least.

    • Rithmy

      August 10, 2023 at 3:03 pm

      Why it would be bad?
      Just think about it. If they know you behavior and also know your desires then this makes you exploitable. They can already do this steretypically. Advertisments already shifted from “satisfying desires” to “creating desires”. What if you dont need those nice shoes? Why you just need some friends? So if they know that you seek human connection and know that you looking for shoes then they could potentially link those 2 things together. They could LIE. Im sure there are some ads that show shoes that promise you to be popular and atttractive because of them. But its a lie. They are playing with your fundamental desires and want you to think that you can only be happy if you CONSUME. Just research “consumerism” and tell me how it would be good? An Ad will never tell you to meet new friends. They will never tell you to take care of yourself (unless its a scammy healthcare app, which in turn makes profit by you staying unhealthy and unsatisfied)

  13. ANGÉLIQUE BEL

    August 10, 2023 at 12:43 pm

    🇮🇩

  14. Neoshaman Fulgurant

    August 10, 2023 at 2:13 pm

    Massive surveillance loophole either way, imagine being gay in homophobic country, oh no!

  15. askadia

    August 10, 2023 at 5:12 pm

    As far as I can, I always block any kind of ads on any kind of device, browser, or app.

  16. Spyda

    August 10, 2023 at 5:27 pm

    I thought I had a blood clot, and was targeted about blood clots, which freaked me out and I almost died from a panic attack, and I didn’t have a clot. Thanks.

  17. pilotreg

    August 10, 2023 at 5:51 pm

    this is not what i want to support because in reality theyre just profiting from our data

  18. Shlomo Small

    August 10, 2023 at 8:01 pm

    Late stage capitalism is trying to be the cause and solution for mental health problems I see

  19. Daniel Weiner

    August 10, 2023 at 8:03 pm

    The capitalist dystopia that’s been making people lose hope can never be comforting to the hopeless.

  20. Hakuna Matata

    August 10, 2023 at 10:27 pm

    I am sorry, this is just a big bs.
    I have been combating Ads from years now and I will tell you, your life gets so much better, you spend less time wasted with internet.
    Internet is an ugly wild world with stupid trends killing younger across the globe.
    You don’t need Ads to target people attempting suicide but a system that allows them to call for help with the minimal effort to have somebody talking with you.

    Ads is so not the solution, but a problem. You will get people attempting suicide flooded with Ads meaning getting them hunted with the problem they need help to stay away from, not a 24/7 reminder.

  21. john he

    August 11, 2023 at 1:17 am

    it’s really awesome, but The BAIDu in China will help you how to kill yourself, whose company will show you fake news and information. it is a tragedy that no one cares about that.

  22. rghrgh

    August 11, 2023 at 3:32 am

    Wolf in sheep’s clothing. Subscription canceled.

  23. KUNSANG BHUTIA

    August 11, 2023 at 5:28 am

    Capitalist doesnt care about human life…they are profit driven..

  24. blake turner

    August 11, 2023 at 7:37 pm

    Yo youtube gave me a warning about this video as i was scrolling through my feed. It made me stop scroll back up and click on the video… true propaganda, i feel like a fool..

  25. Hưng gaming vn

    August 11, 2023 at 10:03 pm

    yeh😆😆

  26. Sonja Brajkina

    August 12, 2023 at 4:06 am

    So, you wanna say that you spy me for my own good. Because I MIGHT be suicidal. Well, that’s next level of BS.

    • PITV

      August 12, 2023 at 10:21 am

      FB, and google etc. can collect data from you so they know who you are.

    • Sonja Brajkina

      August 12, 2023 at 12:16 pm

      @PITV I know that. But justification this guy is trying to make is beyond stupid.

      We are living in “Brave new world”, I am aware of that, but nobody can “sell” me story that it is for my own good. And that is what he is trying to do in this talk.

      Best case scenario it is for marketing purpose, worst case I don’t even want to think about.

      But we are where we are.
      Only way to go dark is fully unplug and move away from society, and not many ppl can do that.

      Ppl are afraid of chips. No reason for chipping, we are paying big money to wear them in our pockets 🙂 Even buying new models every year 😛 It’s too late. They got us. Not to talk about IDs, CC etc.

  27. William Serba

    August 13, 2023 at 5:37 am

    Ted, you and your corporate allies are the problem, not the solution.

  28. Doatlmoop3000

    August 13, 2023 at 5:32 pm

    I would personally enjoy an app that tracks everything I do, and then reports me to a law enforcement agency for a mental health evaluation based off my search history.

    • Mahlyn Arthur

      August 15, 2023 at 4:54 am

      😂 right?! 👀

  29. Potato Dragon

    August 13, 2023 at 11:19 pm

    kerenn bangett mas!!! indo pridee!!

  30. Shiva Reddy

    August 14, 2023 at 1:17 pm

    A great initiative, well done 👍

  31. TakeAfirstStep

    August 14, 2023 at 3:16 pm

    i don’t trust anyone using suicide as a marketing skeam. the guy don’t even have remorse and a bad memory when he talks about it, must be a professional liar…

  32. Invox

    August 14, 2023 at 5:42 pm

    Oh, a snakeoil salesman. Haven’t seen those here in a while. 🙄

  33. Nate Higgers

    August 14, 2023 at 9:55 pm

    How do those corporate boots taste like? I’ll never know.

  34. Charles_Xie

    August 15, 2023 at 12:26 am

    This definitely won’t save me if I get depressed, since 80% of the time I start using my iPad, I begin with Genshin Impact.
    原神万岁!

  35. Beat105k

    August 15, 2023 at 3:08 am

    Still glad that when we had media courses I taught my students to never ever click any of the Google results that are marked as ads.

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