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Welcome to the ad-free internet

economist.com

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Re: Welcome to the ad-free internet

#161

Post by Gareth321 »

zigman1 wrote: post #137
marcus_holmes wrote: post #48

Doesn't this end up spiralling, though? As we've seen with Netflix, nothing stops the service from adding ads to a subscription feed. Sooner or later the pressure to grow revenues is going to force Meta to do ads on their subscription accounts (especially since they can charge a premium on those ads). Then they introduce "premium" subscription accounts with no ads, then those get ads, then there's the "excelsior" sub…

Naive question, but when you sign up to pay for a service you are promised various functions or improvements, one of them is no-ads experience. If company then starts showing ads, isn't that breaking at least some consumer-protection laws?

They're allowed to change the offering. They're not allowed to offer you one thing, but supply another. YouTube is currently testing their legal waters. They currently offer an "ad free" experience with the subscription of Premium. Despite this, they still serve:

* In-feed ads. These include ads for content prominence (preferential placement for creators), articles with link-out, ads for Google products and services like purchasing movies and shows in their store, and ads for Google product features.

* Modal ads in videos which they facilitate. That is, pop-up ads in content.

* Ads for merchandise under the content.

* Ads for paid subscription to channels.

* In-content ads in the form of creator sponsorships. These are becoming egregious.

The official app is absolute GARBAGE now. I can't even turn off shorts anymore. I'm on the verge of cancelling Premium. Once the Digital Markets Act comes into effect in the EU in a couple of months I'll be installing alternative frontends for YouTube which include SponsorBlock.

Re: Welcome to the ad-free internet

#162

Post by rezonant »

avgcorrection wrote: post #124
DarkNova6 wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But is this not a fundamental problem if you expect everything to be available for free? For journalism, this has become an existential threat as web-users generate nowhere near as much revenue than selling printed paper.

sigh What? I just described two scenarios where I’m on a paid plan and I still get ads. > For journalism, this has become an existential threat as web-users generate nowhere near as much revenue than selling printed paper. Printed, paid-for newspapers also have ads.

To be fair "logged in" doesn't imply paid. Might want to edit to clarify if you still can

Re: Welcome to the ad-free internet

#163

Post by 3D30497420 »

zigman1 wrote: post #145
Prickle wrote: post #123

The 5 minute airplane ad is nightmare fuel for me. How long until they kick up the brightness to wake you up. Imagine you are stuck in the window seat, forced to watch an ad you can't turn off? I am exaggerating obviously, but I do find it egregious that they would dare show more ads when ticket prices are already extremely high.

Question. Would you be okay with being shown an add if in turns your plane ticket price is noticeably cheaper?

The challenge is that there won't be any transparency with this sort of thing. Prices for flights are so variable that you'll probably never know if it is cheaper due to the advertisement, or because of other variables.

My main issue with advertising driven models is that the company will respond to the needs of who pays them, advertisers, and not who actually uses the service. Want to juice profits? Just sell more advertising slots, make them more intrusive, etc. Delivering quality service to customers becomes a cost burden rather than a way to gain more customers.

Re: Welcome to the ad-free internet

#164

Post by RGamma »

andirk wrote: post #94

The repeating issue in these comments: very small fiat transactions are difficult. Crypto solves this. The barrier to entry is cumbersome because of KYC, but after that the whole ecosystem is ready to go. People talking 25 cents for an article. The ad revenue from viewing a single page with a few well sold ad impressions at $40 CPM is like 4 cents, and more often more like < 1 cent. I keep hoping to see Basic Attenti…

To avoid generating many transactions you could also work with a classic custodian structure, i.e. prepay into your account once or periodically and it gets redistributed periodically.

Re: Welcome to the ad-free internet

#165

Post by octacat »

andirk wrote: post #96
saghm wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Recently I've noticed that the Uber app (which I grudgingly use instead of Lyft due to a decline in drivers over the years in various areas near where I've lived to the point where it wasn't a viable option most of the time) will show me adds when I open it to check the ETA during a ride. This is something where I'm not paying a subscription but literally paying for the ride itself, because I obviously don't check th…

Things that are super time sensitive should never have distractions present. The Uber app trying to get me to buy cold upside down delivery food while I'm trying to get a ride is a terrible UX. Another example is Waze, the once most amazing map app ever made until bought by Google, has Jack n the Box ads (ok yeah I'm eating jack n the box right now, who cares!) overlaying my fkking map while I'm driving.

oh, tell it to the tram schedule app, popular in Poland. You pay subscription or you watch unskipable ads. Very cool when you have 3 minutes before your trap.

And I am pretty sure just initializing the ads engine takes a half of a second or so.

Ah, I guess UX is dead in 2023

Re: Welcome to the ad-free internet

#166

Post by timbaboon »

saghm wrote: post #75
marcus_holmes wrote: post #48

Doesn't this end up spiralling, though? As we've seen with Netflix, nothing stops the service from adding ads to a subscription feed. Sooner or later the pressure to grow revenues is going to force Meta to do ads on their subscription accounts (especially since they can charge a premium on those ads). Then they introduce "premium" subscription accounts with no ads, then those get ads, then there's the "excelsior" sub…

Recently I've noticed that the Uber app (which I grudgingly use instead of Lyft due to a decline in drivers over the years in various areas near where I've lived to the point where it wasn't a viable option most of the time) will show me adds when I open it to check the ETA during a ride. This is something where I'm not paying a subscription but literally paying for the ride itself, because I obviously don't check th…

Yes, I noticed this for the first time last night! I am not amused....

Re: Welcome to the ad-free internet

#168

Post by ThrowawayTestr »

wrasee wrote: post #152
bambax wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same. It's a bit weird to write a whole article on ads on the Internet and not mention ad blocking once. I don't want to see ads, any ad, ever, and so far I'm succeeding, but I wonder how long this is going to last.

I'm amazed that ad-blockers are not more popular. They do require a certain degree of technical understanding, but the extension system on most browsers is fairly mainstream so I don't think it's for this reason alone. Can it be as simple as the idea that almost all of media is universally disincentivized from talking about them? Of course there is a lot of content on ad-blockers out there, but the pressure may still…

If ad blockers were more popular the internet would be a much different place. Those who use ad blockers are subsidized by those who don't.

Re: Welcome to the ad-free internet

#169

Post by wildrhythms »

DevX101 wrote: post #98
saghm wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Recently I've noticed that the Uber app (which I grudgingly use instead of Lyft due to a decline in drivers over the years in various areas near where I've lived to the point where it wasn't a viable option most of the time) will show me adds when I open it to check the ETA during a ride. This is something where I'm not paying a subscription but literally paying for the ride itself, because I obviously don't check th…

Lyft started doing the same thing. It's slightly annoying. Jet Blue is also showing mandatory ads on the video display in front of you. They last for around 5 minutes and you cannot turn off the display while these ads are showing. This is highly annoying.

Now taxi cabs play ads on a screen directly in front of you during the ride, I've seen TVs playing ads in hospital waiting rooms... talk about a captive audience.

Re: Welcome to the ad-free internet

#170

Post by bsenftner »

zerbinxx wrote: post #24
Keegs wrote: post #6

This is nothing new but the article hits hard. I don’t want to live in a world where everyone is after my attention but a good chunk of the economy seems to depend on it. There has to be a better future than this?

The solution, at least for me, is finding things/places, both on and off the computer, where you can avoid having your attention stolen and just focus on something you like. I think the ad-saturated parts of the world are one of those things that you don’t really need, you just get trapped by them if you open yourself up to being swayed by them. Nobody is in my kitchen trying to sell me shit when I’m cooking, nobody…

And the V/R entrepreneurs are just drooling at the prospect of turning these last refuge places into ad-saturated environments too.
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