Consent and the Internet

So on campus, a big theme advertised in the University Centre at Guelph has been that of "consent" in terms of relationships and intimate relations.  It was motivated by an infamous objectionable comment that appeared on a Guelph facebook group.  An overlooked place for consent, though, has been Internet advertising with audio.  Yes, audible ads.  They violate your tranquility and peace of mind unexpectedly, often without first acquiring consent.  When broadband initially started taking it off, it was more popular to have video ads with audio start playing as soon as you visited a web page, or to have MySpace profiles instantly start playing terrible hip hop music.  (Not all hip hop is awful, but if you chose to broadly use MySpace, you might doubt your taste in general.)

Thankfully, I believe most advertisers understood how unacceptable it was to start blasting sound at potential consumers, so I actually haven't heard one for a long while.  Even most video ads like trailers for movies or cars (cars have trailers?  I mean, video trailers?) have a play button so you opt in to the abuse.  However, I was just in the University Centre, and opened The Ballad of the White Horse by G.K. Chesterton as hosted by famouspoetsandpoems.com to inexplicably start hearing the voices of a couple talking about their amazing trip to some tropical island.

I feel slightly violated now.  Consent.  It's important.