Non-spectrum Phd Student looking for research ideas

[Shinaco]

Hello everyone,

I am a graduate student working towards a Phd degree at US University, and a non-spectrum father of two young kids who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. My main research interest is the impact that Online ads have on consumers. However, my experiences with my own children have made me interested in doing something to contribute to the neurodiverse community. In order to help me determine the best direction that my research should take, I am asking a few questions about online ads. Right now, I am exploring a few different research ideas, and I would truly appreciate your insights on this topic to help me determine the best direction that my research should take. Below, I list a few questions about online ads. Your answers and opinions would be very useful. Please feel free to answer any number of them, you do not need to answer them all. Keep in mind that this effort right now is informal and preliminary – in the sense that I would not use your answers in my actual analysis and research (following the rules, your answers will not be published outside of this site) – rather, I would like to use your answers to understand better the needs of this community, and then base my research direction on that.

1. How do you feel, in general, about online ads?
2. Do ads make you feel uncomfortable in any way? If so, how?
3. Do ads make web pages difficult or impossible to navigate for you? If so, please describe.
4. Do you think the ads that you see online actually take your needs into account? Please describe.
5. If you could have a chat with a leader of the online ad industry about how to make the Internet better for this community, what would you say to them?
6. Is there anything else you want to say about online ads that is not covered by these questions? If so, please do so.

Thank you very much in advance and I hope that with this I can find ways to make the world a little bit better for all.

 

[Nitro]

Hello everyone,

I am a graduate student working towards a Phd degree at US University, and a non-spectrum father of two young kids who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. My main research interest is the impact that Online ads have on consumers. However, my experiences with my own children have made me interested in doing something to contribute to the neurodiverse community. In order to help me determine the best direction that my research should take, I am asking a few questions about online ads. Right now, I am exploring a few different research ideas, and I would truly appreciate your insights on this topic to help me determine the best direction that my research should take. Below, I list a few questions about online ads. Your answers and opinions would be very useful. Please feel free to answer any number of them, you do not need to answer them all. Keep in mind that this effort right now is informal and preliminary – in the sense that I would not use your answers in my actual analysis and research (following the rules, your answers will not be published outside of this site) – rather, I would like to use your answers to understand better the needs of this community, and then base my research direction on that.

1. How do you feel, in general, about online ads?
2. Do ads make you feel uncomfortable in any way? If so, how?
3. Do ads make web pages difficult or impossible to navigate for you? If so, please describe.
4. Do you think the ads that you see online actually take your needs into account? Please describe.
5. If you could have a chat with a leader of the online ad industry about how to make the Internet better for this community, what would you say to them?
6. Is there anything else you want to say about online ads that is not covered by these questions? If so, please do so.

Thank you very much in advance and I hope that with this I can find ways to make the world a little bit better for all.

I use two serious ad blockers.
Not much more I can add to that.

 

[Skittlebisquit]

1 gack
2 bright, fast and sharp, also loud
4 rofl
5 it puts the lotion on it's skin
6 did you make a donation?

 

[Thinx]

Hi and welcome.

1. I don't like online ads. On here I bought a VIP membership so that I wouldn't have ads flashing up. It's great. Only £10 I think.

2. Ads are an unwanted intrusion. They pick up on info about my activity online, and try to advertise stuff that apparently I may want. However, if I want something I will research it, not buy on a flashy ads advice.

3. Yes. I think that's their purpose? They get in your face so you'll buy stuff...

4. If you mean, needs not to be molested by irrelevant offers and info I wasn't looking for, then no.

5. I'd say, hurrah for ads blockers, as I'm guessing you don't care what I think unless it makes you some money. For me, the more ads intrude, the less I would visit a site.

 

[Richelle-H]

1. How do you feel, in general, about online ads?
They are generally intrusive, lacking in any true creativity, and I tend to ignore them, both text and visual.

2. Do ads make you feel uncomfortable in any way? If so, how?

They don't make me uncomfortable, for most earn a snort of derision at there belief they are going to get me to buy their product through use of clichés and platitudes. Additionally all ads that touch even close to politics are ignored and complained about.

3. Do ads make web pages difficult or impossible to navigate for you? If so, please describe.
What they do achieve is annoyance, for even with add blockers you can still see large blanks that you must scroll over and ignore. Adds by e-mail, if they are not out and out marketing dump sites or phishing attempts, are preferable.

4. Do you think the ads that you see online actually take your needs into account? Please describe.
Decidedly not. There is so much information floating around the internet on each and every one of us that targeted adds tend to only look at superficials based on age and gender and make ridiculous generalizations as a result. I never even open these as they are insulting and dishonest.


5. If you could have a chat with a leader of the online ad industry about how to make the Internet better for this community, what would you say to them?
1. Do not try to market to anyone who has not contacted you directly, you are wasting your time and money. Normal ad venues are a better value for money. Word of mouth is your best selling option, not outrageous claims that are rarely backed up in practice.

2. Stope using ad houses that turn out the same adds with different actors for similar on-line products, do you really believe we are that stupid?

6. Is there anything else you want to say about online ads that is not covered by these questions? If so, please do so.

I never look at any on line ad that does not offer me the ability to opt out of it permanently and in so doing only does that and not something much more insidious (hey, I am a retired programmer and I always look at the message source for the origin of the email the ad shows up in). Also ads from places that are not businesses I ever ordered from, but have my e-mail address because that is bought and sold like futures on the stock exchange. Anyone that follows a link in an online add is asking for trouble, so protocols and vetting need to be considered if you want on-line adds to prosper.

 

[Suzette]

1. How do you feel, in general, about online ads?

Online ads are visual and sometimes auditory clutter. I ignore them

2. Do ads make you feel uncomfortable in any way? If so, how?

Ads that use video DO bother me a great deal. It is like having a stranger run up to you and start shouting about the end of the world. I will never, ever buy anything promoted with embedded video.

3. Do ads make web pages difficult or impossible to navigate for you? If so, please describe.

For most of the year I live in Mexico and I live on a boat. Sometimes the available bandwidth is slow so ads can really be intrusive because they load before content. Also, on the boat we use our tablets or phone for the net. Sometimes ads do not dynamically resize and end up taking up all the visual field in a small screen so that the content is more difficult to see. Popup ads can also be so large that the close button is hidden and you can't scroll to see it. In that case all one can do is avoid the site.

4. Do you think the ads that you see online actually take your needs into account? Please describe.

Nope. They are just noise. And advertising that attempts to target your interests are a joke. If I buy ONE item, all the ads I will see will be about that one thing until I buy something else. For goodness sake the time to sell me on stuff is BEFORE I buy it! Also, advertising based on articles I have read are a big miss! Just because I read about how truckers are impacted by xyz rules does not mean I will sign up for trucking school any time soon!

5. If you could have a chat with a leader of the online ad industry about how to make the Internet better for this community, what would you say to them?

Please stop using video to promote products and services. They can be deceptive (masquerading as "news") create a very distracting visual field and the noise is startling and unbearable. (My sound is off because of these kinds of ads)

 

[Booknerd515]

1. How do you feel, in general, about online ads?
Most of them are ones that don't apply to me so I tend to ignore the majority of them. However some of them have led me to a few games on my phone that I really like and a few books as well.

2. Do ads make you feel uncomfortable in any way? If so, how?
Ads that show child products such as diapers if I look at some of my interests that are geared for younger ages or on certain pages of this forum as they tend to show up there. Also pregnancy ads since I'm trans.

3. Do ads make web pages difficult or impossible to navigate for you? If so, please describe.
Sometimes I leave pages entirely if they have too many ads popping up on them because I'll know that they're not financed as well, so they're less trustworthy to me, as websites tend to use a lot of ads for money gain. I have noticed on some websites that the writing quality is way better from those with less pop-up ads. I used to use an ad-blocker, but I don't anymore.

4. Do you think the ads that you see online actually take your needs into account? Please describe.
Only on rare circumstances will they be about my interests and help me find another book or game.

5. If you could have a chat with a leader of the online ad industry about how to make the Internet better for this community, what would you say to them?
-I would love if there was a survey I could take that only showed me certain types of ads I could see that were actually geared around my age and interests instead of other ones that wouldn't be of any use to me at all. What's the use of advertising something to someone if it's not even going to be of use for them?
-Just because someone uses a certain sort of keywords frequently doesn't always mean they want ads related to those keywords. If it's college for example, that could mean they're actually in college and are searching for their online school website on the Internet like I was doing, not that they are searching for a school to go to. I got an unbelievable amount of spam emails for schools to apply to when I was already in college-this should have happened when I was searching for colleges.
-If so, please make there an option to limit weight loss and fasting ads because that really bothers some people. These can especially be triggering for someone with health conditions where they literally can't lose any weight and some of them are very, very graphic.
-I have met and talked to people who are advertisement majors. They're very smart people. If they have an unconventional but catchy slogan, it might be really good.

6. Is there anything else you want to say about online ads that is not covered by these questions? If so, please do so.
I'm not sure if the OP knows of this show, but I saw a tv series in the past called Mad Men which was about a marketing agency. While it's not entirely accurate, it is incredibly resourceful during some parts. It helped me learn a lot of things that I otherwise would have had no clue about. Otherwise, if I was more of a normal person, I might not know how to respond to all of them. The typical person I know tends to click out of online ads and not think a second about them or remember the majority of the ones they see otherwise on the rare occasion if they fit their interests.

 

[Suzette]

One more comment: i mentioned living in Mexico in my original response to this question. Suddenly I am seeing advertising in Spanish and my google news feed is also suddenly in Spanish. This is madness since I haven't typed anything in Spanish and my language setting in my browser is in English.
I understand that googles A.I. engine is to blame, but this is A.I. run amok.

I don't know if this comment is relevant to your research but I thought I would put it out there anyway. A person with learning disabilities might find this sudden switch confusing.

 

[Martha Ferris]

Hello everyone,

I am a graduate student working towards a Phd degree at US University, and a non-spectrum father of two young kids who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. My main research interest is the impact that Online ads have on consumers. However, my experiences with my own children have made me interested in doing something to contribute to the neurodiverse community. In order to help me determine the best direction that my research should take, I am asking a few questions about online ads. Right now, I am exploring a few different research ideas, and I would truly appreciate your insights on this topic to help me determine the best direction that my research should take. Below, I list a few questions about online ads. Your answers and opinions would be very useful. Please feel free to answer any number of them, you do not need to answer them all. Keep in mind that this effort right now is informal and preliminary – in the sense that I would not use your answers in my actual analysis and research (following the rules, your answers will not be published outside of this site) – rather, I would like to use your answers to understand better the needs of this community, and then base my research direction on that.

1. How do you feel, in general, about online ads?
2. Do ads make you feel uncomfortable in any way? If so, how?
3. Do ads make web pages difficult or impossible to navigate for you? If so, please describe.
4. Do you think the ads that you see online actually take your needs into account? Please describe.
5. If you could have a chat with a leader of the online ad industry about how to make the Internet better for this community, what would you say to them?
6. Is there anything else you want to say about online ads that is not covered by these questions? If so, please do so.
Thank you very much in advance and I hope that with this I can find ways to make the world a little bit better for all.

I hate them. They are an unnecessary distraction. I use an ad block but some sites won't let me block their ads so I have to make a choice. The ads slow down page loading.
4-No but then my needs are very minimal and I take care of them myself.
5-I can only speak for myself. I don't want any ads of any kind thank you very much. If I want something I will look for it.

 

[James45]

Adblock plus....I have never seen any for years using this app. It has a counter and has currently blocked just under 1 million ads on my computer.

Being sensitive to excess information this app has been a huge bonus.

 

[Crossbreed]

I didn't mind ads when they were static and in the margins.
I ad-block everything else.

 

[Judge]

1. How do you feel, in general, about online ads?
2. Do ads make you feel uncomfortable in any way? If so, how?
3. Do ads make web pages difficult or impossible to navigate for you? If so, please describe.
4. Do you think the ads that you see online actually take your needs into account? Please describe.
5. If you could have a chat with a leader of the online ad industry about how to make the Internet better for this community, what would you say to them?
6. Is there anything else you want to say about online ads that is not covered by these questions? If so, please do so.

Yeah. Like others I routinely use both ad blockers and filter/eliminate trackers.

- "Out of sight, out of mind."

 

[Shinaco]

Thank you very much to everyone for your answers. They have been extremely helpful.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

1. How do you feel, in general, about online ads?
2. Do ads make you feel uncomfortable in any way? If so, how?
3. Do ads make web pages difficult or impossible to navigate for you? If so, please describe.
4. Do you think the ads that you see online actually take your needs into account? Please describe.
5. If you could have a chat with a leader of the online ad industry about how to make the Internet better for this community, what would you say to them?
6. Is there anything else you want to say about online ads that is not covered by these questions? If so, please do so.

1. They are distracting. They slow page uploads. I don't like them. They are the "less annoying" version of SPAM phone calls. If I was interested in the product, I would research it on my own. I use add blockers whenever I can.
2. They don't make me feel uncomfortable,...just irritated.
3. Even on this forum, the adds will be placed over the top of site navigation icons,...it is quite disruptive at times.
4. No. Almost never. I cruise the internet and am on multiple sites for various reasons,...and I don't need constant reminders of where I have been.
5. STOP advertising...period. You're not needed or wanted. Go away.
6. Pretty much covered it.

 

[ForestGumpett]

Are you a salesman or PhD student? I don’t know what to believe anymore, but find this rather odd. Data on age group of Aspergers people to advertise towards? Most of us are very intelligent and find ads insulting, well many I know anyway. Ad blockers are a godsend.

 

[Fino]

I don't go to very many websites, and so I don't regularly go to any websites with ads. If I do, I don't notice them. Ads are not a part of my life. They probably miss me. I can't tell if I miss them.

 

[Nummulite]

4.

I think this is a ridiculous question. Online or otherwise, of course ads don't take people's "needs" into account. They aren't there to help consumers, they're there to make people want things by any means necessary (within the law, presumably), usually by being obtrusive and attention-grabbing when people are trying to go about their lives.