Despite scientists’ best efforts, there’s still no way to inject ads directly into your veins, so Google is going for the next best thing. Reports from angry emailers across the web show Google cramming even more ads into one place where you can’t look away: your Gmail inbox.
Not only is the number of ads going up, but Gmail is sticking the ads in new, confusing places. Google used to restrain itself to two ads at the top of your Gmail inbox. Now, it seems, Gmail is bold enough to put the ads amidst all your emails right in the centre of your inbox. It’s little ads masquerading as real emails, sitting innocently between your real emails. Take a look at these screenshots posted on Twitter, spotted first by 9to5Google.
As a person who works very hard to keep my email in check, I am absolutely INCENSED that Gmail is just putting random ads in my inbox now??? pic.twitter.com/5LompTLLPL
— rosemary h (@rohallma) May 3, 2023
.@gmail @Google this should be illegal. Put the ads back at the top pic.twitter.com/F7LJuZgxhH
— Connor Marshall (@Marshallc6) May 3, 2023
The team running Gmail’s Twitter account agrees that this whole thing is a bummer. TechRadar spotted one user tweeting at Gmail, complaining about the ads in the middle of their god forsaken inbox. Gmail’s social media team responded, “That doesn’t sound good.” Nice that we’re all on the same page about this.
That doesn’t sound good, Catheryn. Have a look at this article for more info on how Gmail ads work: https://t.co/gJGEZORGk0. Also, could you submit feedback regarding this by following the steps in this article: https://t.co/mBmOuIg3PK? Appreciate it.
— Gmail (@gmail) May 4, 2023
Unfortunately, we’re not all lucky enough to see this exciting new experiment in marketing, at least not yet. Google appears to be in the midst of a test, showing these ads to some users and not to others. I just checked my own Gmail and didn’t see the new messages from corporations I was hoping for.
My inbox is filled to the brim with spam, though! That’s one form of advertising that Google doesn’t seem to like. In just the last week, Google announced new efforts to protect users from spam. Funny, if ya’ think about it, because these new ads are similar: messages that you didn’t sign up for clogging your email inbox. Of course, there is one big difference: with regular old spam, Google doesn’t get a cut of the profits.
If Google follows through on this new ad plan, it will be one more entry in a growing trend. The tech business — and just about every other business — is hard at working finding more ways to show you more ads. Apple, for example, shoved new ads in the App Store recently, and reportedly plans on new advertising in its Apple TV service. Meta somehow found a way to put more ads on Instagram, and Google’s already introduced new ad formats on other parts of the web as well.
We’re in the middle of economic shrinkage, whether or not it’s a full blown recession. That, along with other forces, is pressuring companies to boost their revenue. Advertising is a simple and guaranteed way to bring in more cash. The only downside is your experience of the entire world gets more annoying in the process. Sorry, kids.