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Adblockers: The Only Way Out

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Re: Adblockers: The Only Way Out

#5

Post by elipsey »

LoSboccacc wrote: post #2

Quite optimistic views there. Most content doesn't have a real monetary value beyond generating views. There won't be an acceptable ads consortium, advertisers will only get more ruthless or die.

It really does seem like a race to the bottom at this point, but it's a releif to see that we're starting to move past calling people theives for ad blocking. Except for the scolding, this situation reminds of the days shortly before everyone had popup blocking built in to browsers; for normal people the internet is broken, and for us, it's hard to realize how awful it is until we use grandma's computer, and get a horrifying reminder of how the other half lives.

If someone's business model relies on exploiting security flaws on the client, they shouldn't expect to trade on that forever.

Re: Adblockers: The Only Way Out

#6

Post by chasing »

LoSboccacc wrote: post #2

Quite optimistic views there. Most content doesn't have a real monetary value beyond generating views. There won't be an acceptable ads consortium, advertisers will only get more ruthless or die.

> Most content doesn't have a real monetary value beyond generating views. There won't be an acceptable ads consortium, advertisers will only get more ruthless or die.

Let's hope that sort of content dies.

I mean:

10 Reasons I Hope That Kind of Content Dies -- #6 Will Blow Your Mind!!

Re: Adblockers: The Only Way Out

#9

Post by chias »

Unless the advertising landscape changes drastically from what it is today, I will never not use an ad-blocker, and I reject the notion that it is somehow unethical: for over a decade and a half the online advertising industry has been exploiting every technical loophole or shenanigan it has been able to find in order to degrade my experience, security, privacy for the sake of their bottom line; the comparatively recently the phenomenon of ad-blockers -- a technical measure on the other side of the fence -- has the industry up in arms with cries that they're unethical. Really?

If your business model relies on technical tricks whose ethics are in a very dark-grey area, you do not get to play the ethics card when I use a technical trick to protect myself from you.

Yes there are "nice" ads and content creators that need to monetize, and it's sad that they get caught in the crossfire. But I'm not willing to sacrifice my security and privacy for the benefit of those. It's like saying "yeah uncle Bob gets drunk and beats us but his buddy is a really nice guy just trying to get by". Sorry Bob, you're not welcome in my home.

Re: Adblockers: The Only Way Out

#10

Post by cpeterso »

elipsey wrote: post #5
LoSboccacc wrote: post #2

Quite optimistic views there. Most content doesn't have a real monetary value beyond generating views. There won't be an acceptable ads consortium, advertisers will only get more ruthless or die.

It really does seem like a race to the bottom at this point, but it's a releif to see that we're starting to move past calling people theives for ad blocking. Except for the scolding, this situation reminds of the days shortly before everyone had popup blocking built in to browsers; for normal people the internet is broken, and for us, it's hard to realize how awful it is until we use grandma's computer, and get a ho…

I don't use an ad blocker (because I want to experience the web that most users do), but it feels like the annoying ad problem has gotten much, much worse in just the last 1–2 months.
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