effects with surprising nuances depending on age

Whether we love them or avoid them, whether they annoy us or condition us, online advertisements are part of our daily lives. They are so numerous, repetitive and omnipresent in our private and public spheres that we sometimes even forget about their existence. But do they not have an impact on the individual? Nothing is less certain, even if many Internet users, especially youthful people, boldly declare about online advertisements that they “do not [les] do not disturb”, that “they are not too invasive”, “they are not annoying because they are well targeted”. Some even say to themselves: ” amused ».

These comments were collected as part of ETIC programmeon the negative impact of digital images on consumers. The aim of this project, funded by the National Research Agency (ANR), is to pay special attention to the consequences that digital images can have on individuals.

In January 2022 over 60% of the world’s inhabitants had access to the Internet, which is almost 5 billion people. According to’E-Pub Observatorydigital advertising volume increased by 42% between 2019 and 2022, although economic growth slowed down in the first half of last year (+5%). In the same period, other media remained stable. Our era is therefore increasingly linked to the explosion of advertising image distribution on the Internet.

Sensory stimulation

Advertising remains a privileged tool for brands, even if some base their success on silence and sobriety. It seems that many adults and seniors are taking a step back and taking a critical approach to the pressure of online advertising. They are mostly the youngest, accustomed to spending a significant number of hours in front of screens at an increasingly early age. more tolerant and passive regarding Internet advertising. THIS numbers collected by National Commission for Information Technology and Freedom (Cnil) reveals that 82% of children aged 10 to 14 say they regularly operate the internet without their parents.

However scientific literature showed that even if the Internet user finds them uninteresting, advertisements are able to leave traces in memory not only a few minutes after exposure, but in some cases also a few months later. The Internet user may be convinced that he did not pay attention to it, but often an advertising image unexpectedly appearing on the screen leads to modification of already established neural connections in it or to the creation of additional connections.

All this results in an raise in the familiarity of the advertising image and, consequently, in the intensity of cognitive processing in an already particularly stimulating environment. Compared to a printed page, a digital page from a computer, tablet or smartphone contains more sensory stimulation elements due to the greater liveliness and brightness, moving images, hypertext links and even possible sound elements. Hyperstimulation can then cause, in the compact and long term, cognitive overload and negative emotional reactions such as irritation, sadness, anger or stress.

Youthful people, not so insensitive

The intensity of these reactions depends on several factors : the mental state of the Internet user at the time of operate, his state of fatigue or stress, personality traits, the place where he is, for example due to noise pollution, but also the effectiveness of advertising in achieving his goals and objectives.

Using measurements tailored to eye tracking (equipment allowing for the analysis of eye movements), as shown in the literature attention paid to advertising decreases rapidly when multitaskingwhich is common when browsing the Internet, especially among young people. The multifaceted activity of youthful people on the Internet, both minors and adults, would overshadow the impact of digital advertising. However, the results of a quantitative survey conducted online in November 2022 (420 respondents) as part of the ETIC program show that youthful people (16-26 years venerable) are not so insensitive to advertising as they significantly show that they are disturbed and irritated by advertising. the intrusive appearance of pop-up advertising, which would not be without consequences for their well-being, considering the number of hours they spend on screens per day.

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The same study shows that older people (65-74 years venerable) are more concerned about this interference when navigating the digital world. On the other hand, it shows that adults (27-64 years venerable) are more likely to accept it and develop curiosity about the product, which again stands out from the academic literature, which generally indicates that older adults, compared to children or very youthful adults, older people look at online advertisements critically and with distance.

Also go to the source

Few studies have focused on the Internet user in the consumer position. In the latter case, even in the case of seemingly harmless images, insidious negative effects can be identified that can extend to the adoption of problematic behaviors, such as regrettable impulsive purchases and a case of addiction.

It is on the basis of observations such as these that we question, within the ETIC programme, the effectiveness of the digitalisation of advertising when the characteristics of digital technology and the sensory stimulation generated correspond to targeting strategies (clicking on a website and subsequently associating advertising with that click) and management models.

The ETIC research programme currently aims to explain how these negative effects depend, in addition to factors specific to the Internet user, such as their age, the sender of the images (communication agency? Brand? Individual? Influencer?) and the level of expertise in digital communication. The aim is to formulate recommendations to encourage ethically and socially responsible behaviour by issuers in a context where legislators are particularly concerned and vigorous on this issue.

The first phase of research conducted by researchers involved in the program is underway. It is based on several hundred interviews and observations with communication specialists and amateur broadcasters of digital advertising and promotional images. It will be followed by a quantitative phase consisting of experimental protocols aimed at validating the effectiveness of actions and devices that allow for mitigating or even eliminating the identified negative effects.

The “Declaration on the Future of the Internet”adopted at the end of April 2022 by over 60 countries, in the European Union it was accompanied by a legislative package aimed at “making illegal on the Internet what is illegal in the real world”in the words of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. TO Digital Services Act (DSA) was therefore adopted by Brussels with the aim of better protecting internet users and their fundamental rights, helping petite businesses in the European Union to grow, but also strengthening democratic control over very enormous digital platforms to reduce the risk of disinformation or manipulation of information. The text will apply from February 2024 and already applies to very enormous online platforms. The digital advertising market dominated by the trio Google-Meta-Amazon (GMA)still has a dazzling future ahead of it, but it must not forget to take into account the welfare of consumers if it wants to avoid angering lawmakers.

Design Ethical is supported by the National Research Agency (ANR), which funds design research in France. Its mission is to support and promote the development of basic and completed research in all disciplines and to strengthen the dialogue between science and society. To learn more, visit the websiteANR.