<story><title>Facebook is bombarding rightwing users with combat gear ads. See for yourself</title><url>https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/26/facebook-ads-combat-gear-rightwing-users</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>jabroni_salad</author><text>I&amp;#x27;m not completely sure this is just political people. Up until recently I only got ads for kickstarter doodads and airtable, but then it suddenly switched to gun stuff. I don&amp;#x27;t browse any firearm or political communities, haven&amp;#x27;t bought stuff, don&amp;#x27;t watch firearm youtube videos, haven&amp;#x27;t even been window shopping.&lt;p&gt;There were 5 million new gun owners last year. I think the ad networks just view it as a highly probable click since so many people are suddenly showing interest in firearms that weren&amp;#x27;t before. Especially for people in my demo&amp;#x2F;geo... I am white and rural.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>opwieurposiu</author><text>When I was working in the machine shop business around 2016 another shop owner called our shop asking if we had any work to sub out.  I was surprised because his shop was running at max capacity the year before,  making gun parts.  Apparently when a republican becomes president the gun parts market dries up; when a democrat wins, the market booms.&lt;p&gt;I think the arms retailers are having a boom right now and have plenty of money for ads.</text></comment>
<story><title>Facebook is bombarding rightwing users with combat gear ads. See for yourself</title><url>https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/26/facebook-ads-combat-gear-rightwing-users</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>jabroni_salad</author><text>I&amp;#x27;m not completely sure this is just political people. Up until recently I only got ads for kickstarter doodads and airtable, but then it suddenly switched to gun stuff. I don&amp;#x27;t browse any firearm or political communities, haven&amp;#x27;t bought stuff, don&amp;#x27;t watch firearm youtube videos, haven&amp;#x27;t even been window shopping.&lt;p&gt;There were 5 million new gun owners last year. I think the ad networks just view it as a highly probable click since so many people are suddenly showing interest in firearms that weren&amp;#x27;t before. Especially for people in my demo&amp;#x2F;geo... I am white and rural.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>smoe</author><text>Could be similar as when the covid lockdowns, mass layoffs and advertisment budget cuts started, I suddenly got bombarded (where it passed the ad blocker) with ads on how to rapidly become a millionaire by investing in stuff from home and similarly sketchy products&amp;#x2F;services.&lt;p&gt;I think could really be a risen interest in the gun topic within that demo and&amp;#x2F;or other companies not targeting them as much currently in the US while other see oportunity to sell more in this moment?</text></comment>