• by Shirley Marschall , Featured Contributor, Yesterday

We speak so much about business goals. Sustainability and DEI used to be part of them (at least on paper).

But what about something even more fundamental? A moral compass. A shared red line. The industry’s version of “Don’t be evil.”

Something that makes the entire ad tech ecosystem say: “STOP.”

Maybe it’s the absence of that line -- or the absence of consequences for crossing it -- that led to the recent wave of disturbing CEO statements.

These aren’t just red flags. They’re flares in the sky.

Meta:

Zuckerberg on ads: “You [brands] tell us what your objective is, connect your bank account… You don’t need measurement, just read the results we spit out.”

Perplexity:

The CEO proudly announces its browser will track everything users do online, to power hyper-personalized ads.

A surveillance engine dressed as convenience.

X: CEO Yaccarino declares the platform a “megaphone for truth,” while legacy media is “left whispering.”

This, while doubling down on “real-time fact-checking" -- on a platform riddled with brand safety disasters.

These statements aren’t just tone-deaf. They’re the sound of an industry crossing a line and daring us to notice.

So where’s the response? Where is the collective industry “Stop”?

Advertising Doesn’t Just Reflect Culture, It Funds It

We like to act as if advertising is neutral  -- as if media buying is just a job.

But the influence of this industry runs deep and wide.

Advertising isn’t a side effect of the digital economy. It is the economy.

According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, 75% of all U.S. ad spend -- nearly $300 billion -- now flows through digital channels.

Behind that number are millions of jobs: agencies, platforms, publishers, creators, engineers.

We don’t just sell products. We shape culture, sustain industries -- and fund the internet.

That kind of influence isn’t neutral -- and it shouldn’t be directionless.

We Keep Pretending We Don’t See It

We’ve normalized the absurd:

•   Platforms profiting from chaos while offering brand safety as a premium feature.

•   Agencies funneling spend to risky platforms because the incentives are aligned somewhere, just not with the client.

•   Advertisers outraged one day, back in the media plan the next.

We talk about “values,” but behave like there’s no alternative.

We warn about misinformation, but reward it with spend.

We say we want safety -- for brands, users, and society -- and then optimize toward volume anyway.

The Consequences Are Already Here

If you’ve ever wondered how the internet got this toxic, don't just blame the platforms.

The issue is what we’ve chosen to fund.

You can’t build a media ecosystem on attention at any cost, and then be shocked when the cost shows up.

You can’t prioritize performance over people and then panic when trust evaporates.

You Reap What You Sow

This isn’t about cancel culture. It’s about accountability.

It’s about the long-term consequences of building an industry on volume, velocity, and plausible deniability.

Ad tech has spent the last decade optimizing for conversion, automation, and scale, while neglecting the foundation of credibility, trust, and shared responsibility.

Time to Rethink What We’re Growing

We can’t fix everything, but we can stop pretending this is fine.

We can demand better from platforms and from ourselves.

We don’t need more acronyms. We need a compass.

We don’t need another workaround. We need a stance.

Because in this industry, as in life, you reap what you sow.