Even though I have been trying to cut down on the amount of platforms I engage in, the one that's still got me is YouTube. Forever searching for something new to interest me, I spend time browsing video essays and funny sketches. Unfortunately, that leaves me wide open to the strangest ads on the planet.
A few years ago, when I was avidly using Tiktok, I used to recieve ads about meditation apps or things that make todolists for you online. I am almost certain they had detected my interest in creators or content that mention ADHD or procrastination. Though, I didn't pick up on it then. Now, almost every ad I get is "procrastination in men looks like" or "I manage my ADHD to reach my full ceo potential" or whatever the fuck else they think I'd like to hear. Some of these ads are AI voxpops or a small AI animation of a sad man and an AI singing the words on the screen.
Super broadly, people are looking for connection and understanding. Feigning that understanding through AI generated bullshit is shitty. Feigning the understanding of a group of people with a disability is even worse. I find day to day tough, I have terrible dysfunction and time management is a struggle. I can't focus well, or at least, not for very long. The idea that I could sign up to some website or download an app that could help fix that is appealing but ultimately these don't work, especially as treatment for ADHD.
I'm also no stranger to how tough it is to even get diagnosed with ADHD, let alone treatment. New Zealand has a shortage at the moment, and we don't even have a wide range of ADHD medication approved and available here. Doubly worse to take advantage of that gap and try and pitch this AI facade.
AI and other technologies are imperfect, operating on data from who knows where, acquired who knows how.
I guess this is probably an issue with all advertisements, but because these are the ones I see the most, these are the ones getting a couple paragraphs outta me today. Advertising is an unregulated evil. Makes sense that its new best friend is AI.
The cat that is often in my house is one of the funniest people I know. My life is undoubtedly infinitely richer because she's in my life.
I would never ask her to fill out an application form for her scritches, for her food, for a warm place to sleep. She doesn't need to know english, she doesn't need to know when my applications are open for the year, she doesn't need to prove she's looking for other ways to get food other than me.
She has changed my life and I am happy to make hers easier.
This is a mutual aid relationship.
Mutual aid is people voluntarily working together to meet each others needs.
Unfortunately, the majority of the western world operates on a charity-based model where people have to compete for riches they may never get. People have to prove they are poor enough, sick enough, disabled enough. People have to have the time to apply and be convincingly enough. People need to prove they're trying to lift themselves out of poverty as if they put themselves there.
My friend, the cat, never has to prove that she's worthy of food, shelter, or love. I never have to prove to her that I'm worth hanging out with. I hope that more people can help for the sake of helping.
Like Prince Shakur said, Mutual Aid is like a potluck where everyone brings something to share. Charity is like a banquet, where only a few people decide who gets served.