I've been blocking ads for so long that actually seeing them feels perverse

I use ad blockers and open source privacy focused software whenever I can but occasionally I have to use computers that don’t belong to me or an older phone where my usual applications aren’t installed and seeing all the advertisements just feels dirty and dystopian.

I think the worst ads are the text to speech ones that say “Download this app today”. The unblinking energenic people saying you can make a living at home are probably a close second.

sin_free_for_00_days,

Same, it’s so weird seeing normal TV or using the internet without blockers. Feels like living in Idiocracy.

The_v,

One of my most used sites has a banner that says “Sign up for a small fee to remove the ads.”

I was a confused for a second, because I had never seen one.

Tried the site with another browser with my default protection off and holy shit, so many ads. The webpage is mostly unusable because of the shear number.

DogMuffins,

Yeah I agree.

It’s made me very intolerant of ads. It’s kind of surprising how much effort I will invest to avoid ads, and avoid supporting people who make a living from advertising revenue.

sebinspace,

people who make a living from advertising revenue

That’s a lot of people, lad…

Sterile_Technique,
@Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world avatar

…just imagine if they were all doing something productive instead.

Props to @DogMuffins for helping to discourage their parasitic behavior and ushering them toward career paths that might actually utilize their potential in a positive way!

HidingCat,

Lots of the web is still run by advertising revenue. I know a few of the sites I like to go to rely on advertisting. I certainly don't consider them parasites like you do, they're just working within the system, because the alternative is to not exist, and I'd rather not have that.

DogMuffins,

I don’t think that’s true at all.

If advertising didn’t exist then content producers and content consumers would embrace an alternative funding model because everyone wants content.

HidingCat,

Enough to pay for it? Nope. I've been on the other sides of this equation, that is a very naive take.

ttmrichter,
@ttmrichter@lemmy.world avatar

Enough to pay for it … if it’s good enough to be worth paying for.

It’s that last part that kills most content creators. There’s people whose work I’ll idly browse as long as I don’t have to pay for it (even with ads: I love my ad blocker!). But you’re right, 99.44% of content creators whose work I idly look over would not get a single red cent out of me from direct payment.

So maybe it would be good to switch to payment-only schemes. That would kill off the crap creators and leave those behind who make something people think is worth paying for.

I mean … I still pay for books and music. I do pay for content. Just not shit content.

cubedsteaks,

Enough to pay for it … if it’s good enough to be worth paying for.

I’ll give you an example. I use a site called lacemarket which is a buying/selling site for a niche hobby of Japanese street fashion. It will never be popular enough that enough people would be using the site in order for them to make enough to pay for hosting the site.

So they’re forced to run ad’s cause they have no other way to keep the site up. The owners are also not taking a percentage of people’s sales so they can continue to bring in people who want to use the site. But in order to not take money from the sellers, the only other option they have to keep the site running is ad funding.

It sucks but its too niche to do it any other way.

ttmrichter,
@ttmrichter@lemmy.world avatar

If it is that niche, it is not a self-sustaining business model (with the evidence for this being that they instead have to sell their users to third parties).

Perhaps it’s just better left to die than to propagate an economic model that commoditizes human beings who aren’t even part of the business?

cubedsteaks,

no, its a hobby community and its been running since at least 2014. There is a demand for it but only in that community.

So letting it die wouldn’t be an option. It’s not a ton of people but I can think of lots of communities that have like 300 ish people in them who would be fucking livid if that site went down.

ttmrichter,
@ttmrichter@lemmy.world avatar
  1. And 300 people couldn’t find the resources to keep a small server up? For the equivalent of $1 per month each the very first VPS provider I found on a search gives you more than enough horsepower to support that small a community. …com.au/…/vps-virtual-dedicated-server-detail

That’s the very first result I found.

And you need ads to support this!?

cubedsteaks,

No, only like two people run the site.

The groups I’m talking about are the people who use the site to buy and sell the clothes on there.

ttmrichter,
@ttmrichter@lemmy.world avatar

I understand that. And those people buying and selling clothes on that site can’t afford a buck a month?

cubedsteaks,

They probably could but getting them to is another story. The ads are just easier.

ttmrichter,
@ttmrichter@lemmy.world avatar

I’m happy that the total destruction of the Internet into a Hellscape of graffiti and malware is helping your 300 people save a buck a month.

cubedsteaks,

I mean, tell those girls that. They’ll dox your ass but I’m sure it’d be worth it to make a point about advertisers.

ttmrichter,
@ttmrichter@lemmy.world avatar

Ah. So turning the Internet into a Hellscape of graffiti and malware is fine so that 300 idiots who can’t afford a buck a month won’t, and I quote, “dox my ass”.

What’s the word again for a (typically very small) minority trying to force their will on a (typically very large) majority by using actions intended to create fear? You know, actions intended to create terror in the target audience. The word’s on the tip of my tongue…

Fuck the 300. If they can’t afford a buck a month then their hobby can just die. I don’t want to have to put up with advertising spam on literally everything my eyes fall on just because 300 “girls” will “dox my ass”.

cubedsteaks,

It’s a niche hobby so they don’t really effect any part of the internet other than their own.

Do you know anything about Japanese Street fashion as a hobby…

ttmrichter,
@ttmrichter@lemmy.world avatar

If they perpetrate and normalize advertising-driven income, they effect every part of the Internet. That’s the whole point of this entire thread: ads are the Original Sin™ of the Internet and shit little sites like this perpetuate this toxic mix.

If they can’t pay a buck a month for themselves, their hobby deserves to die.

DogMuffins,

You mean you’re a content producer that couldn’t get people to support you directly? Did ad revenue solve the problem?

If advertising didn’t exist other funding models would be embraced.

grue,

You just think that because advertising exists as an option. If that circumstance was different, everything else would be too.

sebinspace,

Alright so journalists and reviewers can fuck off, then?

DogMuffins,

Journalists don’t make money from advertising revenue. Reviewers can fuck off.

cavvema,

Actually, since the Internet began to be public domain, physical newspapers has lower and lower sales. Since people can find the news online. This is one reason behind ads online.

Today, many local areas have nobody that works as a journalist, no local news=local politicians can do whatever they want without anybody question them.

So, what do you prefer? A community that has journalists asking the tough questions, digging for dirt or a community where corruption can flow free?

Support your local newspaper/news station with a subscription and use adblock.

ttmrichter,
@ttmrichter@lemmy.world avatar

There are no more local newspapers or stations for all practical purposes. 70% of the UK’s “local” news media (print or broadcast) are owned by four media conglomerates. Most “local” television media in the USA is owned by the (right wing asshole collection) Sinclair Broadcast Group or (fellow right wing asshole collection) Rosebud Media. About 2/3 of “local” newspapers in the USA aren’t locally-owned or operated and don’t hire local reporters. Of these, about half are owned by 25 companies (themselves part of larger conglomerates in twisted, difficult-to-unravel relationships).

So it’s kind of difficult to support your local newspaper/station. Because it’s a unicorn for most people.

DogMuffins,

Actually I personally believe that public funded media is vastly better than independent. Private media has prudent itself incapable of being anything other than corporate / conservative shills.

cubedsteaks,

I want to agree but I live in a place with a popular local newspaper that moved online and it’s still corrupt as ever here.

sebinspace,

I’m beginning to think you lack fundamental knowledge of how the internet sort of… works…

DogMuffins,

Oh my sweet summer child…

DogMuffins,

Not really?

ttmrichter,
@ttmrichter@lemmy.world avatar

That’s a lot of people who are a net drain on society both economically and in terms of accomplishment. SO MUCH EFFORT is wasted on trying to get my eyes on their graffiti. The greatest engineers of the 1950s and 1960s put humans on the Moon. The greatest engineers of the 2000s onwards struggle to get eyes on ads.

It’s fucking repulsive.

solstice,

I’m always disgusted with tv ads and it blows me away that people just let commercials scream at them all day to buy viagra, anal leakage meds, insurance etc. Why would you let that shit in your home? Ugh

cubedsteaks,

Why would you let that shit in your home?

because I find it amusing and it doesn’t do anything actually harmful.

solstice,

You actually find ads blaring at you amusing? What a truly horrid unpopular opinion. I’ll respect that though if you’re actually serious but it’s hard for me to comprehend.

Buddahriffic,

I bet $5 they work in the advertising industry in some way, or maybe benefit from it.

cubedsteaks,

Nope I work in customer service.

Buddahriffic,

Fair enough, I’m just not able to relate to someone who enjoys ads without a personal interest involved. I’m at the point where I hate ads so much that even if it is something that interests me, most advertisements are more likely to get me to avoid a product than pursue it.

cubedsteaks,

I do understand hating ads to some extent because when I was growing up, they made me feel uncomfortable but later on I realized it was because I was watching tv with other people. So it was really just other people making me feel uncomfy and not the ad’s - when I watched ads on my own I found them interesting when I actually paid attention to them.

What do you mean by personal interest though? Most tv ad’s I see now aren’t even for someone like me. Like I have no need for viagra pills or dog meds. I’m not a guy with dick problems and I don’t own a dog. I see a lot of ads for like 65+ people too cause that’s who’s left watching and they know it.

Buddahriffic,

For personal interest, I meant like a direct personal benefit in some way from it. So not an interest in the ad itself, but the results of that ad. It might have been clearer if I had said “financial interest” instead, though it could also be say an actor in an ad that was already paid but liked being seen, or someone who likes a show liking ads for it because they want the show to grow in popularity.

cubedsteaks,

oh yeah, I’m not getting any kind of financial gain lol

If anything, companies make money off me like they would anyone else.

cubedsteaks,

Ads are never “blaring” at me. I control the volume on my tv.

zero_spelled_with_an_ecks,

Sorta. But the FCC does, too, because advertisers were being dicks about even that: verifythis.com/…/536-277e7a74-5e9b-427c-982b-fbf2…

cubedsteaks,

oh yes! I remember hearing about this a few years ago from someone I use to be friends with. I always wondered why suddenly I’d be watching comedy central, and having to turn down the volume as fast as possible because some ad was just insanely loud.

I haven’t experienced anything like that recently but I notice some channels are quieter than others. Like everything is more quite on FXX than it is on COZI tv. I feel like that’s something else though cause the volume doesn’t vary for the ads like it use to.

1984,
@1984@lemmy.today avatar

I just feel annoyed… I hate their fake humor, fake happiness, fake everything. And they are so dumb.

FlyingSquid,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

I only see ads when I use YouTube on my phone, but my god the “humor” is terrible. Especially those “aren’t we weird and kooky?” Liberty Mutual ads, not one of which is remotely funny.

solstice,

They aren’t creating awareness of their brand, so much as they are making people associate their brand with being pissed off. Looking at you Liberty.

cubedsteaks,

What fake humor are you talking about? There was a snickers commercial last year that made me laugh. It wasn’t fake - it was hilarious. Had a pretty raunchy joke in it too.

_number8_,

YES the dumb skits are fucking excruciating. and they air them over and over. and some people laugh!

iByteABit,

I don’t often watch TV, but I get what you’re saying. Sometimes it’s fun to just watch through the ads and make fun of them with my gf until a movie comes on, it’s sort of a guilty pleasure

solstice,

I hear you, it is an interesting cultural and quasi historic experience. It’s fun to go back and compare commercials over the decades.

cubedsteaks,

Yeah, that’s why I have a bunch of VHS recordings from the 90’s. They’re like little time capsules and the ad’s of the time are telling of the events at the time.

oatscoop,

One of my dad’s friends would mute the TV when commercials came on. We’d entertain ourselves by making up new narration and dialogue.

The viagra commercials were the best.

Acters,

Haha, I understand both of the points made. I can’t get over the feeling I get from the obvious in your face push to tell you about a product. the obvious act of pushing a brand name and product to me is either annoying, depressing, or disgusting.

I would rather live happily with what I have. I am simply not the target audience. I can pick out that every ad and commercial I see is targeting the consumer and experts you to buy or think about it. I am neither right now, but that does not mean I am not going to get influenced to buy a product. Also, I want to prevent myself from being influenced by outside sources. I don’t know how to do it for everything, and advertising is an easy target to get rid of.

On the other hand, it is interesting and almost comical how some ads are made. Unfortunately, almost every commercial or advertisement made is short form content. There is almost no depth, and each video/ image/ text is made to be self-contained. I am someone who likes to have an overarching story tied with character development and meaningful changes from events. These commercials seem to be like family guy flashback/reference jokes or acting like a poorly done transition in between scenes that was introduced to force you to stop watching for 5 to 15 minutes with the added benefit of earning the Channel money.

cubedsteaks,

Also, I want to prevent myself from being influenced by outside sources

I guess I am a special case in this way because I grew up in a religion that basically forced me to learn how to block out something so it doesn’t influence me one way or the other. I had go for 7 years blocking out religious garbage in my face so I am just use to looking at something, and not being influenced by it.

But most people don’t have that so no wonder its so invasive for them.

I also don’t get modern Family Guy hate but whatever. To each their own.

Acters,

Less of a family guy hate and more of a comparison. Family guy is OK and not the greatest thing to watch continuously. Which is why I dislike commercials more because they are always happening. I can tune into family guy when I desire, but advertising is never a choice given to me. Why can’t I just choose the adverts instead of all the personal data collection so they try to guess my desires(literally call it personalized targeted ads, like some kind of weapon name). Just like parasites, I hate invasiveness. I want to be clean and will seek refuge or remove it from my life.

cubedsteaks,

advertising is never a choice given to me

Interesting. To me its a choice. I choose to skip ads or watch them.

Acters,

How about choosing the ad you want to watch? instead, you have “random personalized from harvested data” ad feed to you at intervals that are becoming ever imposing in the normal content you wish to enjoy. The only option is to skip, watch, or turn off the device/service. There isn’t an option to choose your ads. Like a social media feed where anyone who pays can enter your feed, and you just have to skip them or look at them. It is not good enough and purposely limits your control. Plus, blocking ads should be considered a form of skipping ads indefinitely. Also, they don’t even allow skipping ads in some situations and force you to watch them. F that noise. Some will even go out of their way to force you to watch ads or mask links with tracking.

Even then, ads are terribly made content wise because of the forced randomness of placement and viewership. Moments where youtubers do sponsor driven ad breaks are a decent change, but that relies on the youtuber matching up the content with the sponsor, and the sponsor allows creative freedom. Even then, I desire to have content I search for. Instead of serving me random content in between everything as a general strange form of psychological torture.

Most ads I see are for products I don’t ever want to buy. It is just noise and an eyesore.

You are wrong. There is no choice given.

cubedsteaks,

No, I’ve seen services where they let you choose what ad to watch before the program.

Also I only see ad’s on YouTube TV which was my choice to purchase. So I went into that purchase knowing that I would be getting ad’s. It was my choice entirely.

Acters,

I still disagree because I doubt the services I use will implement that kind of system ever. Also, I am interested in hearing more about the services that do offer that benefit. Maybe elaborate some more instead of a blanket lazy statement. Youtube TV and cable TV are all commercial driven with monthly costs. I hate that I have to pay and still get advertising stuff shoved up my face. On the other hand, congrats to you for making that “choice.” 👏 As I stated, either you are allowed to skip, forced to watch/listen, or remove yourself from the “platform.” In a dystopic future, you will not be able to make that last one as there will be no true alternatives, only fake another “iteration” of the same stuff. Can see it happening to some streaming platforms and especially TV broadcasts.

cubedsteaks,

blanket lazy statement? Sorry, I just wanted to respond and be concise… but here… let me write you a fucking essay I guess.

It was awhile ago but I was at a friends place and she was watching a version of Hulu that had ad’s but she was being prompted to pick an ad instead of the ad’s just coming on. She got like three choices and after you picked one and watched the ad, there would even be a survey for the ad.

Now, this is something that happened probably a year ago now cause I don’t hang out with her anymore. So I could be wrong in that it was Hulu, I think it could have also been an ad version of Amazon’s streaming service. She was one of those people that uses a ton of other people’s passwords to stream stuff. You know before a lot of them blocked that. Again, like a year or so ago.

I mentioned YouTube Tv because that’s what I have. And I did choose to get it fully knowing it had ad’s and that I wanted there to be ad’s. Please let me know how that isn’t a choice or how that isn’t me choosing to see ads.

I also have a ton of VHS recordings spanning back to fucking late 70s that have ads in them! And I have those because of the fucking ads!

Like sorry but this is a choice for me. I think ads from the past are interesting and I like being able to compare them to now. Sorry I’m just that rare kind of nerd.

but I get it. You’re worried the world has been taken over by ad’s and that’s why we’re living in a dystopia. You said future but I’m in the US lmao. It’s already dystopian here. Like too late.

Also I’ve heard a lot of people are like, falling out of favor with shitty streaming services and they’re doing what I’ve been doing for years now. Going back to physical media. See, I’m not worried cause where I’m at, its fine to watch cable tv and collect VHS tapes and DVDs.

Nostalgia’s a great feeling.

Acters,

blanket lazy statement? Sorry, I just wanted to respond and be concise… but here… let me write you a fucking essay I guess.

I understand, I felt insulted how you mention that there are services offering a choice in viewing selection of ads that was offhandedly thrown it out there like it is the norm. From your statements it was obviously not a different way of watching advertisement/commercial content but instead it was to gain feedback on what ads work and which do not.

Please let me know how that isn’t a choice or how that isn’t me choosing to see ads.

you decided to join that streaming service, and while it is a choice, my issues is that is the only choice available, either join or do not. there is almost no inbetween. There is no further choices in commercial content, it is just hammered in and the only way it can have meaningful targeted ads is by harvesting a shitload of personal data all the time. I believe that having to either join or not join as a choice is Orwellian like. If there is a oligopoly or monopoly formed you are essentially trapped in or out. I see no freedom in this path.

I’m in the US lmao. It’s already dystopian here. Like too late.

Feeling hopeless, I do too. Hopefully there is an alternate reality or a future where the world stops being invasive and learns to prosper. at least movie theaters are better than Cable TV. those premovie ad reels are annoying but a quick bathroom break and back to my reserved paid seat is a great feeling.

Also I’ve heard a lot of people are like, falling out of favor with shitty streaming services and they’re doing what I’ve been doing for years now. Going back to physical media. See, I’m not worried cause where I’m at, its fine to watch cable tv and collect VHS tapes and DVDs.

I am not sure why cable tv is getting roped into vhs and dvd. Cable tv is most certainly not the same as having unedited full featured, high definition(as high as possible lol), free of external influence physical copies. you have a good heart, I hope you paid for getting those instead of burning them from online copies or recordings of cable TV. i would support those creators for their content instead of dealing with the noise of cable TV, the throwaway nature of streaming services, or support commercial ridden subscription platform models.

cubedsteaks,

I understand, I felt insulted how you mention that there are services offering a choice in viewing selection of ads that was offhandedly thrown it out there like it is the norm

Sorry about that. I guess I think of it as the norm here because its a package that’s offered. Anyone in the US can go get it if they have the funds for it and want to pay for it.

What other choice do you want there to be? I’m all for being middle of the road. I mean, I’m bisexual. I’m a fence sitter. I like the third option or the pick all option the most.

But when it comes to ads, how do you get a middle ground? To me, an ad is just that. You see it, or you don’t see it.

From everyone in this thread, it seems like most people just choose not to see the ads. And that’s a fine choice isn’t it? Or do you want the ad’s to not exist at all? Like is it upsetting that you have to decline because its like a yes or no question?

I’m not actually feeling too hopeless cause I’m in big favor of that writer’s strike and I hope it goes on as long as possible. I don’t give a fuck about new media. Halt that shit forever. We clearly needed a break.

I am not sure why cable tv is getting roped into vhs and dvd

Because that was an era. Back when we had Cable TV, we bought VHS tapes and DVDs. It’s like living in 2004 in my apartment. Its like the closest I can get to a time machine.

And both VHS and DVD’s had ad’s on them. VHS tapes always started with trailers and ad’s for either merch or production companies. DVD’s would often have extras that were just ad’s!

My VHS recordings are actually from a site I don’t have access too anymore but I’m not the person who recorded them. They’re also from like decades ago. No one at Adult Swim is hurting cause I have a tape from one of their blocks in like 2003 that has all the ads in tact and includes shows they don’t even run anymore.

Etienne_Dahu,

Why would you let that shit in your home?

Because you didn’t buy the anal leakage meds.

peanutdust,

That’s literally my parents “background noise” it’s a news argument or commercial 24/7 over there.

ChunkMcHorkle,
@ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world avatar

It IS perverse. You’re having your eyes groped by strangers, all trying to get you to do what you have no desire to do. You just want to get what you came for and leave, but no, everywhere you look something is trying to block your path and distract you from your goal. And it’s not even honest: you already know that none of these extraneous, unwanted come-ons you’re seeing is anything close to true. In some cases, it’s a full-on mental assault.

It’s vile. I used to leave some on, but now there’s not even such a thing as “acceptable ads” anymore just because of the sheer numbers involved. So now I don’t just block: I go full extermination mode. I’m usually on desktop so if it’s a one time thing, like a single ad on YouTube that managed to sneak by all of my walls and filters and I can’t just pass it by because it’s stuck in my field of vision, I’ll actually do an “inspect element” and delete it on the spot. But otherwise, if I can’t block 100% or very close to it, I find a different site or source, or shut down altogether.

I genuinely don’t think our minds were made for this level of constant information onslaught and never-ending manipulation campaigns, and I don’t think it’s healthy or life-affirming to subject oneself to it without limit. So I don’t. People get angry about it, but hey, more for them to enjoy if that’s how they wanna roll.

Scubus,

And to ensure I don’t accidently use their site again, I grab it’s most background element and block it, hence effectively blocking the site as a whole.

ciaocibai,

I had a 16+ year old Reddit account, but was shocked when the whole 3rd party app situation was going down to learn that patently Reddit had ads. Between pihole and browser ad blockers even when I used the web version I never saw them. Don’t think I was missing anything.

CorrodedCranium,
@CorrodedCranium@leminal.space avatar

It IS perverse. You’re having your eyes groped by strangers, all trying to get you to do what you have no desire to do. You just want to get what you came for and leave, but no, everywhere you look something is trying to block your path and distract you from your goal. And it’s not even honest: you already know that none of these extraneous, unwanted come-ons you’re seeing is anything close to true. In some cases, it’s a full-on mental assault.

You paint an image in my head of a guy stopping you on the street to sell you a knock off Rolex.

_pete_,

This is the thing that got me.

I never used to mind ads that much, yea they were there but the sites had to earn money somehow and advertising was a fair way for them to do it. I’m not going to pay a subscription for every site that I want to visit.

Then one time I was looking at jeans on GAP and was bombarded for the next 3 weeks with ads for them on basically every damn site I visited.

I don’t hate ads that don’t track me about and are obnoxious in their presence, but that just doesn’t exist anymore.

electric_nan,

Whenever I see someone’s computer who doesn’t use adblocker it blows my mind. I can’t imagine going back to that shit.

MystikIncarnate,

It’s a fun game of too many ads leading to adblockers, which leads to those not using adblockers to get twice as many ads, more people use adblockers, etc. Until the only way for a company to make money on a website is either to sell your data, or charge for the service.

Yay.

ttmrichter,
@ttmrichter@lemmy.world avatar

I’d happily pay for a service if I could have a guarantee, with legal teeth (like a service level agreement with truly massive penalties for breach), that the service won’t ever do any of the following:

  1. Put an ad in front of my face.
  2. Sell my personal information.

I used to pay for some services to get the “ad-free” version, but almost invariably this chain got subsequently followed: ad-free → opt-in “curated” ads → opt-out “curated” ads → “curated” ads → dropping all pretense of there being any advantage to paying as the site becomes ad-o-rama.

So I won’t pay for sites. I just block their ads.

MoodyRaincloud,

The pattern is always the same. No ads - ads - no ads if you pay - no ads if you pay but we sell your data - personalised ads because you pay, and we sell your data.

snake,

I just install uBO without saying anything ;)

iByteABit,

Chaotic Good

spread,

Used to do this, however nowadays I worry it will fuck up their YouTube and they won’t be able to fix it themselves lol

agneev,

I put dns.adguard.com on their browsers and phones.

charonn0,
@charonn0@startrek.website avatar

“Jarring” would have also been acceptable.

Most people are so desensitized to ads that they barely register. So the advertisers ramp up the attention-grabbing. Repeat. So when I actually see an advertisement it nearly knocks me out of my chair because I’m not desensitized anymore.

lenathaw, (edited )

My sister shared me an Instagram reel for a [brand] bag review and asked me to buy it for her (there’s no [brand store] in her city).

It was such an obvious advertising campaign by the brand, when I walked into the store the same reel she shared me was playing in the store screens

thesilverpig,

I’m 90% sure I understood what you are saying, but I wouldn’t be angry if you ninja edited your comment to fix some of the typos. Here’s a cute turtle to indicate I’m not trying to be a dick, just gently nudge you cause I want to understand. 🐢

lenathaw,

no worries mate, idk why my comment was missing some words, spaces and letters

justastranger,

Ads nowadays are little more than psychological assault and it can’t be healthy to be exposed to it regularly. My Home Ec teacher back in the day had a whole unit about the different manipulations present in advertisements and it was really enlightening and upsetting. Modern advertising should be banned or severely regulated.

some_guy,

I support significant regulation, but it won’t happen. But having a course like the one you took as well as media-literacy should be required middle-school education with a more sophisticated follow-up in high school. That also won’t happen because then you don’t get the people who vote for GOP pieces of shit. It’s in their interest to have citizens who are easily manipulated.

My father said babies were being aborted basically when ready for birth. I said there’s no way that was happening, said send me a link. One glance at the page and I didn’t need to read the article because of the gimmicks all over plus obviously bogus ads. He had a doctorate of mech engineering, but he couldn’t handle life on the internet. Typing this, I’m horrified to realize that I’m glad he passed when he did and didn’t end up with ever-increasingly wacko beliefs that could have harmed our relationship.

ttmrichter,
@ttmrichter@lemmy.world avatar

Every once in a while I find myself looking at the Internet without ad blockers. Like, newly-installing a browser on a newly-installed OS, or trialing a new browser on my phone or whatnot. And when it happens it’s a massive shock to me just how unusable the modern Internet is without an ad blocker.

If I were forced somehow to not use an ad blocker, I would probably stop using the WWW portion of the Internet and likely grossly cut down on other facets of the Internet.

MonkderZweite,

but occasionally I have to use computers that don’t belong to me

Do them a favor and install an adblocker.

PP_BOY_,
@PP_BOY_@lemmy.world avatar

If i had a dollar for everytime I’ve done this and been asked why I “downloaded a virus” because Google Chrome has a little red icon in the corner and now things don’t “feel right”, I’d have like 7 bucks

dustyData,

I mean, don’t do it against their will. At least put some effort into selling the idea of an internet without ads to them first. Then explain that Google and other companies are going to try to manipulate them into thinking that not viewing ads is a bad thing with false warnings and scare tactics like those. That it’s fine, and if they read carefully the warning it doesn’t say anything bad is actually happening.

ILikeBoobies,

I had a family member visiting that left early because their “games didn’t work right”

(Network blocking)

Duamerthrax,

Sounds like you blocked a different kind of annoyance.

Mystech,

If they left for that reason, they weren’t visiting you, they were visiting your internet connection. :-(

airportline,
@airportline@lemmy.ml avatar

Most people don’t appreciate it when you install software on their personal devices without their permission.

MonkderZweite,

without their permission.

Nobody said that.

whofearsthenight,

Boy would this be the quickest way to make sure I never allow you to touch my electronics again.

grue,

Fine. I don’t appreciate it when assholes inflict ads on me, so we’d be even!

CorrodedCranium,
@CorrodedCranium@leminal.space avatar

I will occasionally suggest it if I am doing any kind of tech support but I don’t push it. Occasionally it can cause issues with webpages and if they aren’t savvy enough to have an ad blocker already I don’t know if they would have the knowledge of when to toggle it on and off.

bela,

This is exactly how I feel. Whenever I had to watch a youtube video with ads lately my lovely Hungarian government has not failed once to put a lovely propaganda piece before every single video. It’s insane that people actually live like this.

What I think about is how “surfing the internet” has entirely lost its meaning. When looking for something specific your only bet is your search engine’s 3rd to 7th results (the first two just being ads or “sponsored”), and you need to put in serious effort to discover unique and interesting stuff.

I can not wait for the ad bubble to burst, and maybe then we’ll get some sort of a usable internet once again…

TimewornTraveler,

Yo seriously can you explain how did Hungary get like that

FlyingSquid,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

They have their own Trump except much more powerful.

bela,

deleted_by_author

    •
    TimewornTraveler,

    What a nightmare. what are you guys gonna do?

    Nonameuser678,
    @Nonameuser678@aussie.zone avatar

    The person who was instrumental in the development of modern advertising was also involved in the notorious little Albert experiment. That really says a lot about how unethical modern advertising is on a psychological level. As a psych major myself I am constantly disgusted by how manipulative and toxic advertising is. It actually troubles me how we’ve essentially just accepted this as part of our society now.

    en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Albert_experiment

    redballooon,

    “The aim of Watson and Rayner was to condition a phobia in an emotionally stable child.”

    Buddahriffic,

    There’s a documentary called “Manufacturing Consent” that is an interesting look at the PR and advertising industry that goes into the psychology of it.

    Though some of them have no subtlety. Even as a teenager, I remember noticing the insidiousness of minivan adverts. They weren’t selling vehicles, they were selling the idea that a new vehicle will make your kids want to spend time with the family again. It was probably because I was a teenager at the time that I noticed it because I thought minivans were lame and knew I’d resent having to go for family rides just because we got a new vehicle that I thought was dumb anyways.

    But these advertisements wanted to convince families to spend money they may or may not have been able to afford for an emotional result that was at best going to be short term even if your kids had undergone enough brain trauma to get excited by minivans. Eventually the novelty would wear off and they’d want to go back to eating paint chips or doing whatever kids who think minivans are cool like to do. And then the lonely parents are stuck with a vehicle that reminds them of the thing that made them sad and have a new incentive to get a new vehicle to help them forget about it.

    EssentialCoffee,

    I never got that from minivan commercials. They mostly focused on storage capacity without needing to get a full size van, not really family. Family was more incidental because someone without a bunch of kids didn’t need the space.

    Buddahriffic,

    Yeah, to be fair that might have been one specific commercial or a trend that has since passed. It’s been a while since I was a teenager.

    FlyingSquid,
    @FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

    I’m used to seeing brief YouTube ads when I cast from my phone, but I was in a hotel recently where the only option was live TV (we were in the back of the hotel and the Chromecast didn’t have a good enough antenna to pick up the router), so it was the first time in years I saw full-on commercials. If the movie hadn’t been so good- After the Thin Man- I wouldn’t have put up with it.

    veroxii,

    Look into the gl.inet travel routers. I’ve got one of the smaller ones and it has helped me on a few trips. It can run as a hotel wifi extender. An AP for your devices while it logs into the hotel wifi or ethernet on their behalf, etc. Can even channel all your data over a VPN over the hotel connection which is useful if you’re overseas and want to use your services back home but need to un-geoblock yourself.

    Worth a look for under $100.

    FlyingSquid,
    @FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

    Thanks.

    glockenspiel,

    I agree, and those routers can be extremely cheap. I recommend people plug them directly into ethernet whenever possible otherwise speeds basically get cut in half when operating as extenders (just like at home, excepting backhaul).

    And in hotels without an obvious ethernet port: check behind the TV. There is usually a less metered port on the wall back there for use by the TV. Sometimes it is restricted, but I’ve been pleased to find that enough hotels don’t have the foresight to do more than simply obscure things a bit.

    dman87,

    How do they handle the web portal login requirement that hotels typically have?

    Akuchimoya,

    I’ve actually come to appreciate commercials after cutting Netflix. It’s a set time for me to take a little break, and it’s out of my hands. (I mute it too, of course.) Otherwise I could just keep watching on and on without a break, and that’s not really very good for you.

    I have no will power.

    FlyingSquid,
    @FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

    To each their own, I guess. They know you’re putting it on mute, by the way. That’s why they try to make it as eye-catching as possible.

    grue,

    Appreciating commercials because you have no willpower sounds… fraught, at best.

    bug,

    Tangentially related, I recently replaced my Chromecast with a “Chromecast with Google TV”. It’s an Android TV box which you can install SmartTube on and cast YouTube with no ads. Yes, I am aware of the irony of paying Google for new hardware instead of paying them for their ad-free service, but the new device cost less than 2 months of YouTube Premium and I like tinkering.

    FlyingSquid,
    @FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

    Oh nice! I’ll have to look into that! Thanks! It’s not glacially slow, is it? That’s one of the reasons I never use the apps of my so-called smart TV.

    CaptKoala,

    My smarttube is glacially slow, but it’s the TV hardware that can’t keep pace, I assure you.

    I’ve also noticed when the stream is cut by YT, smarttube will almost always manage to get it back, very rarely do I have to actively pick up the remote to fix it.

    When my TV plays nice, it’s a perfect YT replacement, and I highly recommend it.

    FlyingSquid,
    @FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

    Thanks, I’ll definitely look into it.

    CaptKoala,

    I wish you a pleasant, ad/sponsor-free viewing experience sir.

    bug,

    As the other commenter said it’s about the hardware really. I tested it out on a really old device first to make sure it actually worked - it did but at a glacially slow pace. The new box is pretty snappy though!

    EssentialCoffee,

    The Thin Man series is worth commercials for.

    FlyingSquid,
    @FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

    Totally. I was loving it and watched the rest when I got back home.

    Catoblepas,

    I feel like this whenever I’m subjected to cable ads. Who the fuck can sit through like 4 or 5 minutes of ads every 15 minutes?

    EeeDawg101,

    And they’re paying lots of money for it! It’s mind blowing

    JackbyDev,

    They even speed up old shows and movies to run more ads!

    Karlos_Cantana,
    @Karlos_Cantana@kbin.social avatar

    I've wondered how businesses advertise anymore because I never see advertisements. I don't watch TV. I don't listen to radio. I have ad blockers on my devices. I just assumed most people used as blockers too.

    bappity,
    @bappity@lemmy.world avatar

    there’s always the boomers who can’t do it/don’t know it’s even possible and others that know nothing about computers that they can prey on

    Spliffman1,
    @Spliffman1@lemdro.id avatar

    It ain’t just boomers bro

    ttmrichter,
    @ttmrichter@lemmy.world avatar

    I know more zoomers who don’t bother blocking ads than boomers who don’t.

    Like by a LARGE amount.

    TheHighRoad,
    @TheHighRoad@lemmy.world avatar

    Entire generations have been conditioned to accept ads due to the iPad, especially on YouTube.

    bappity,
    @bappity@lemmy.world avatar

    I did say others :P

    yamanii,
    @yamanii@lemmy.world avatar

    Paid sponsorships mostly, since sponsorblock can’t do anything without anyone marking a segment as an ad, you will see it in a video eventually.

    HipPriest,

    I use a VPN which has an excellent ad & bs blocker. But occasionally some sites need me to turn it off to pay for things or whatever and I forget to turn it back on and end up browsing the internet in its normal state.

    And wow... welcome to commerce central. It's not that all the ads are obnoxious though some are, but the quantity of them is out of control on some websites.

    To be fair, I've found it's a good rule of thumb that the quality of a website is usually proportionate to the less amount of ads they have.

    I also reviewed mobile games for a while and had to play without a VPN to get the same experience most players would get - game ads are the worst. Unrepresentative of the games they're trying to sell, but also often sexist (veering towards misogynistic), obnoxious and with false endings.

    ChewTiger,

    Which VPN?

    HipPriest,

    I use Surfshark but I expect most of the quality ones offer something similar. Nord and Express often get mentioned as the best VPNs but Surfshark as the best cheap VPN - I'm impressed with it, would recommend. You can even use Chrome on Android and most sites seem like normal, though I've switched to Firefox anyway

    (If you are thinking of using a VPN just don't use a free one because they're probably dodgy)

    peanutdust,

    Level 99 mafia boss checking in 😎

    grue,

    proportionate to the less amount

    “inversely proportionate”

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