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The ad-based internet is dying, and it's getting worse in the process [video]

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Re: The ad-based internet is dying, and it's getting worse in the process [video]

#161

Post by freediver »

zer8k wrote: post #70

I work in the ad industry. I have some expertise both on witnessing the alleged decline and counter-acting it. Before anyone asks about my moral compass I do not like ads, I never have, but they're an inevitability. The problems big ad tech face are unique and very hard especially w.r.t. to data. Anyway, ads are not dying. By and large ad quality is getting better. There are several companies that exist now to pre-sc…

> I do not like ads, I never have, but they're an inevitability.

Drinking water is inevitable. 99% percent of the web being monetized by ads is not.

"Ads are inevitable" has become a mantra repeated by every ad-tech executive to keep them relevant.

> What bothers me is the author of this video seems to think the internet can exist without ads. In it's current form it cannot.

The current form of internet is an intelligence insulting, attention-seeking, malicious, privacy-invading monster exactly because it has been using ads as its primary monetization vehicle for the last two decades. Losing it would actually be a good thing for humanity.

> The ONLY ALTERNATIVE is a paid solution.

This is quite a good solution. Yes, it would instantly kill 99% of 'content creation', vast majority of which is low quality, but this is exactly what is making current form of internet horrible in the first place (paired with ad monetization).

The 1% remaining content creation is what would pass a bar of 'worth paying for'. This immediately creates the right incentive structure for all parties involved, including for the author of this video. They will be given a choice - do they go 'pro' and try to make their content great and worth paying for or do they look for a new job? Seems like they are already half-way there, and with a bit more effort they could be making a living from a paid model.

Re: The ad-based internet is dying, and it's getting worse in the process [video]

#162

Post by FreshStart »

jhaenchen wrote: post #99
gleenn wrote: post #5

His two examples are Twitter and Reddit whose ad revenue is dying because those two companies have made huge blunders. Elon seems to almost actively be killing Twitter (which the poster even states). Reddit screwed Apollo and then many of the most popular subreddits protested and did things like show porn on otherwise usually SFW content to prevent Reddit from showing ads and thus killing their profits. Those are big…

The real issue IMO is that users do not understand that ads pay for their apps. They don't want to see ads and the ads they do see they want them to be uninformed and general. They want everything free. This just encourages subscriptions. Which we're seeing become more and more common.

They want a tax funded internet and shareholder companies gone after the worst bath in history. All it takes is one state to start and give it's citizens the chance to distribute the tax anonymously and the whole advertising industry dies.

Re: The ad-based internet is dying, and it's getting worse in the process [video]

#163

Post by warbeforepeace »

lettergram wrote: post #84
gleenn wrote: post #5

His two examples are Twitter and Reddit whose ad revenue is dying because those two companies have made huge blunders. Elon seems to almost actively be killing Twitter (which the poster even states). Reddit screwed Apollo and then many of the most popular subreddits protested and did things like show porn on otherwise usually SFW content to prevent Reddit from showing ads and thus killing their profits. Those are big…

I keep asking this because I don’t understand - how is Elon “killing” twitter? I’ve frankly not seen any difference, at all. If anything there’s slightly more activity

Its becoming a far right cesspool. And its making even less money than the little that it did before. Most people i know don't use it anymore.

Re: The ad-based internet is dying, and it's getting worse in the process [video]

#165

Post by warbeforepeace »

andreygrehov wrote: post #147
Phaedor wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually think it might. My experience is that the people who pay to get their replies to the top do it either because they have something to sell, or because they agree with Elon's politics. So the result is that every tweet I view have pretty much the same low quality answers on the top. That has made the experience much worse for me, and I personally would quit if there were a good enough alternative. It also de…

> Do you think Hackernews would do better or worse if they introduced a paid tier that put your comment above others every time? If a paid tier alone puts your comment above others, then the result is negative. However, I do not believe Twitter's algorithm simply ranks by the presence of a blue checkmark. It is a signal amongst other signals and not a sole criteria. My feed has improved after all the changes, which i…

Truth social exists to spread propaganda from china and russia.

Re: The ad-based internet is dying, and it's getting worse in the process [video]

#166

Post by luag »

kevingadd wrote: post #27
nonlogical wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is sort of a thing now with Bitcoin Lightning. You already can listen to podcasts and “stream” them a certain amount of money of your choosing. Called Value For Value and part of podcasting 2.0 spec. Whether this scales to entire internet I don’t know, but kindling is there.

I know one of the goals for Lightning Network was to cut transaction fees. Did that actually work out - is it realistic to pay someone $0.05 USD-equivalent in Bitcoin using Lightning? Or do I need to use an exchange/intermediary still?

The alternative would be to use big block Bitcoin fork (like Bitcoin Cash). Last time I checked, average transaction fee is $0.008.

I personally use it sometimes to pay for some services with minimal transfer fee, but BCH can't seem to win the branding game against Bitcoin.

Re: The ad-based internet is dying, and it's getting worse in the process [video]

#167

Post by LaundroMat »

Medh_Suk wrote: post #104
gleenn wrote: post #5

His two examples are Twitter and Reddit whose ad revenue is dying because those two companies have made huge blunders. Elon seems to almost actively be killing Twitter (which the poster even states). Reddit screwed Apollo and then many of the most popular subreddits protested and did things like show porn on otherwise usually SFW content to prevent Reddit from showing ads and thus killing their profits. Those are big…

Marketers have ruined internet with deceptive and click baity ads. I dont have a problem with ads, just dont sell my data to everyone who knocks on your companies doors. Happy to support ethical ads. Twitter ads are aweful, showing unknown, click bait ads on its platform.

... deceptive and click baity content too.

Re: The ad-based internet is dying, and it's getting worse in the process [video]

#168

Post by SV_BubbleTime »

Izkata wrote: post #148
SV_BubbleTime wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That little animation at the end, was there a panel of her going to a gynecologist and a green mist coming from her? The older I get, the more I can see what Ayn Rand was getting at.

I don't know what Ayn Rand thing you're referring to, but I'd be a lot more concerned about the beginning of the ad where she's poking holes in a condom...

Atlas Shrugged.

Yea, that didn’t register at first because she threw it at him, but I get it now. Wow, that’s pretty low class.

Re: The ad-based internet is dying, and it's getting worse in the process [video]

#169

Post by rstuart4133 »

makeitdouble wrote: post #25
gleenn wrote: post #5

His two examples are Twitter and Reddit whose ad revenue is dying because those two companies have made huge blunders. Elon seems to almost actively be killing Twitter (which the poster even states). Reddit screwed Apollo and then many of the most popular subreddits protested and did things like show porn on otherwise usually SFW content to prevent Reddit from showing ads and thus killing their profits. Those are big…

What examples of ad based rising companies do you see ? My first thought was Google, and it's started to plateau in the recent years: https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/GOOGL/alphabet/rev... . Meta also took a dive, and while it was from a sharp turn of the business focus, I'd argue it comes from an attempt to avoid staying on a stagnating market.

You typically won't see rising ad revenues during a recession. When times are hard, or look like they could get hard, advertising is the first thing cut. Its a well established pattern. Eg, from https://www.createwithnova.com/blog/the-history-of-advertisi... :

> After the last recession in 2008, the US ad market declined by 13%. Newspaper ad spend fell 27%, radio spend 22%, magazine spend 18%, outdoor spend 11%, TV spend 5% and digital 2%.

And yes, it happened this time too. From https://simonowens.substack.com/p/the-advertising-recession-... :

> Digiday published a recent overview of media earnings reports, and while earnings overall were a mixed bag, nearly every single company reported a significant dip in advertising revenue:

> Publishers reported declines in digital ad revenue from about 9% to 30% — worse than the 3% to 27% drop in ad revenue year over year reported for the fourth quarter of 2022. Executives continued to cite macroeconomic conditions and a soft ad market as major challenges to their businesses.

Re: The ad-based internet is dying, and it's getting worse in the process [video]

#170

Post by Euphorbium »

jhaenchen wrote: post #99
gleenn wrote: post #5

His two examples are Twitter and Reddit whose ad revenue is dying because those two companies have made huge blunders. Elon seems to almost actively be killing Twitter (which the poster even states). Reddit screwed Apollo and then many of the most popular subreddits protested and did things like show porn on otherwise usually SFW content to prevent Reddit from showing ads and thus killing their profits. Those are big…

The real issue IMO is that users do not understand that ads pay for their apps. They don't want to see ads and the ads they do see they want them to be uninformed and general. They want everything free. This just encourages subscriptions. Which we're seeing become more and more common.

I am totally fine with subscription only. Ads should be banned.
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