SponsorBlock – skip sponsor segments on YouTube

Also extra useful: iSponsorBlockTV. You run it in on a server and you can set it up with the YouTube app on all your commercial streaming boxes that don't support browser extensions.

https://github.com/dmunozv04/iSponsorBlockTV

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With sponsorships I think people are just annoyed by them being repetitive. There are maybe ten companies that seem to sponsor every YouTube channel and podcast, and there's only so many times you can get pitched the same wallet or VPN before you develop the instinct to skip ahead.

But before we skip ahead, let me tell you about this comment's sponsor, Squarespace. From websites and online stores to marketing tools and analytics, Squarespace is the all-in-one platform to build a beautiful online presence and run your business. Use code "eyeroll" to get 10% off your first order.

The creator of this extension also makes DeArrow [1]. It replaces the clickbait thumbnails and titles with less annoying ones. I highly recommend it.

[1] https://dearrow.ajay.app/

It's not necessarily an either-or situation. It can be privacy, annoyance, and a general lack of effectiveness.

Advertising isn't just the art of selling a product, it's the art of getting past our normal social defense that someone is trying to take our money, our attention, and our time. Advertising is necessarily adversarial, and everyone's tolerance for it is going to be unique depending on how heavily they rely on free resources, but it is a necessary unpleasantry at its best.

If I could even recall the exact number of times an advertisement of any type appealed to me in the last 20 or more years, it would amount to less than the fingers on my hand. I used to welcome all of Google's advertising tracking and relevance-seeking as the best version of advertising out there, but even that resulted in unimpressive and less than meaningful ads. If Google can't advertise something useful to me, then I have zero qualms about walking by, palm facing them in refusal.

Because of these product failures, and because it is unwise to trust a big company with all of your personal data, I rarely desired to be advertised to at all.

Individual content creators have the opportunity to give me a chance with something unique that they know that their viewers would be interested in because they (hopefully) relate to their audience much more than a faceless corporation, and can present a product in its best, most relevant light.

But if that content creator is trying to sell me a Scandinavian VPN service or a game of legendary shadows, you can bet I have zero interest.

All this may change as GenAI-driven methods may key in on relevant interests based on what I wish to share about myself. I'm hoping that Apple's Intelligence systems will end up preserving privacy as well as driving a more effective ad model.