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Should I Block Ads?

shouldiblockads.com

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Re: Should I Block Ads?

#81

Post by laurentdc »

I just disable them via /etc/hosts because I can't tolerate any more useless javascript putting load on my CPU.

My workstation (E5-2640) has seen multiple generations of operating systems, video editing software, DAWs.

Browsers and web browsing in general is the only thing that I can tell it's getting consistently worse year after year.

I know it's an odd metric but 10-15 seconds to fully render a newspaper homepage is more than it takes for my full DAW setup (Cubase + FL Studio as VST plugin) to fully come up with tracks loaded and play button ready. I don't even recall dialup being this bad.

Re: Should I Block Ads?

#82

Post by hardlianotion »

inetknght wrote: post #60
Hamuko wrote: post #2

How many people actually disable their adblockers when sites don't allow you to access them if you have one enabled? It's just much easier to close the tab.

> How many people actually disable their adblockers when sites don't allow you to access them if you have one enabled? It's just much easier to close the tab. Some sites intentionally break if you're using an adblocker. It's really easy to argue to not use those sites. But... What about government sites? Government sites don't work with strong ad blockers. What about bank sites? Bank sites don't work with strong ad b…

Thankfully, UK government sites don’t have this misfeature.

Re: Should I Block Ads?

#83

Post by saagarjha »

quadrangle wrote: post #69
notriddle wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'll notice that the essay doesn't build its argument around "ads bad" or "privacy good" or any of the typical shibboleths. It builds its argument around crap like fake download buttons, fake FBI warnings, coin miners, and ads that break the website. These are the reason why University of California and Edward Snowden recommend ad blockers, and they're the reason why I recommend them too.

Yes, but the "ads bad" arguments hold up to scrutiny as well, even though it's not what this site focused on.

It's an easier argument to reply to with "you're stealing the website's livelihood", which is why it's usually worth bringing up after you explain the many other problems ads have.

Re: Should I Block Ads?

#85

Post by jacquesm »

cameronbrown wrote: post #36
centimeter wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are better, more efficient ways to monetize than ads. Ads are one of the most destructive and socially wasteful ways to monetize content; it's just technically easy. If we make ads nonviable, you can expect things like micropayments to become more common (and I'm happy to make that trade).

(Disclosure: I work for Google, but not in Ads) Micropayments are generally considered to be unviable for the general population (edit: business model wise, not tech). People are unwilling to pay even pennies for an article[0], because now users are facing the burden of choice, constantly thinking about how their browsing is racking up pennies. Not to mention, it boxes you into the pay-per-article model. Sites like T…

Micropayments were a solved problem in the 90's, Viditel did it and it worked like a charm.

Re: Should I Block Ads?

#86

Post by collyw »

sergiotapia wrote: post #49
hpoe wrote: post #41

So the reason I block ads, or at least started is a book I read called Pre-suasion by Robert Caldini. In it he points out that internet ads are dismissed and ignored by our conscious mind but because of that often will produce an effect on our unconscious mind. Think like the subliminal messaging type thing. People who were shown Kodiak ads on a webpage in an experiment couldn't recall seeing any Kodiak ads simply be…

It's our responsibility as parents in tech to teach our children to block all ads. My son hasn't browser the web without an adblocker, ever. I showed him what his favorite sites look like without an adblocker and he was really surprised.

Is it? Who will pay for the internet then? I almost feel guilty for blocking them in a way, I appreciate that we need to have some naive users to fund stuff.

Some smarter sites ask you to voluntarily unblock their site. If its something I value I will actually do that. If it's forced upon my often I'll try and work my way around it.

Re: Should I Block Ads?

#87

Post by xzel »

Hamuko wrote: post #2

How many people actually disable their adblockers when sites don't allow you to access them if you have one enabled? It's just much easier to close the tab.

Depends on how annoying they are. If it is a simple overlap I'll delete the element. If that doesn't work I'll trying google cache or something similar if I really want to access it. I also run the bypass paywalls app so I don't run into that problem on most news sites anymore. I do pay for a small number news sources I read consistently but still want to read articles posted on HN / Reddit outside of those. I don't think bypass payways is the most ethical solution but I'm not really sure there is a great solution right now.

Re: Should I Block Ads?

#88

Post by collyw »

Hamuko wrote: post #2

How many people actually disable their adblockers when sites don't allow you to access them if you have one enabled? It's just much easier to close the tab.

Some sites ask you to do it voluntarily, and if its something I value enough I will do. If it's forced I will sometimes try a workaround, sometimes just close it.

Re: Should I Block Ads?

#89

Post by abdullahkhalids »

hpoe wrote: post #41

So the reason I block ads, or at least started is a book I read called Pre-suasion by Robert Caldini. In it he points out that internet ads are dismissed and ignored by our conscious mind but because of that often will produce an effect on our unconscious mind. Think like the subliminal messaging type thing. People who were shown Kodiak ads on a webpage in an experiment couldn't recall seeing any Kodiak ads simply be…

Totally agreed. Ads compromising my brain is far more dangerous to me than ads compromising my computer. The effect of modern ads on individuals and society are tremendously negative.

Re: Should I Block Ads?

#90

Post by duck »

I wish instead of calling them "ad blockers", we had used something like "tracking blockers". The tracking/automation of ad networks is what the issue is, not the ads, yet we've made it more confusing for those that don't understand how these things work.
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