Examining the positive and negative effects of advertising practiced on the Internet.
This paper takes a look at the many different forms and methods of advertising available on the internet. These include pop-up advertising where an additional window opens when one enters a specific site; and spyware which is free, downloadable software that advertisers use to track users surfing habits, generating pop-up advertisements based on the type of websites a user visits. The paper also examines the different ways that users may combat aggressive advertising tactics.
According to the internet research firm Cyvelliance, more than twenty-five percent of top Web destinations now use some form of in-your-face marketing tactics (Spring 25). Fueling this ad explosion is an estimated 9.6 billion dollars that Gartner G2 research firm estimates will be spent on internet advertising in the year 2002 (Spring 25). Corporate America is financing some of these intrusive ad campaigns, often without realizing it. Even reputable companies such as Citibank, Ford, and Sears have all paid commissions to aggressive Web marketers (Keizer). In the quest to generate more revenue and traffic to their website, many advertisers are using sleazy new tactics such as pop up advertisements, mouse-over downloads, or spy ware, leaving many web patrons feeling irate and helpless.