I also used to fantasize about the democratization of speech via the internet. No longer would money determine what information reached you.
Adwords is no less ethical than search rankings, newspapers, TV, radio, literature, bus stops, music - reality, ultimately.
Good news: I agree that this is a problem.
Bad news: It's incredibly more prevalent than you realize.
If communication of information isn't democratized, you can't have a democracy. It shouldn't be a surprise then that we don't have a democracy, but an oligarchy [1].
Mind you, this is just one of many factors that makes a true democracy impossible as they currently exist. [2]
I also used to fantasize about the democratization of speech via the internet. No longer would money determine what information reached you.
Adwords is no less ethical than search rankings, newspapers, TV, radio, literature, bus stops, music - reality, ultimately.
Good news: I agree that this is a problem. Bad news: It's incredibly more prevalent than you realize.
If communication of information isn't democratized, you can't have a democracy. It shouldn't be a surprise then that we don't have a democracy, but an oligarchy [1].
Mind you, this is just one of many factors that makes a true democracy impossible as they currently exist. [2]
1 http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_law_of_oligarchy