This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Garbage ads have been a thing almost since the dawn of the Internet and we found a solution to them years ago. They're called ad blockers. If you are online and not using an ad blocker: Why? That's like finding a $2/night hooker and not using a condom.
The article did mention ad-blockers:
Some users take back control from online ads by installing ad-blocker software. These can be free versions in the form of a browser extension, or more advanced versions with a subscription fee.
I think you underestimate how technologically illiterate the average person is. Many people do not even understand the difference between a web browser and a search engine - they use Chrome because they think that's the only way to perform a Google search.
Ew. Speaking of technological illiteracy, the author is irresponsibly contributing to it by insinuating that subscription fee ad blockers are somehow inherently better than free ones, which is not only absolute bullshit but also pretty much anti-Free Software propaganda.
My kids are not what I’d call tech illiterate but they are growing up with all of it taken for granted. They don’t really understand the terms “internet” as distinct from “website” as distinct from “your phone.” It’s just kind of all “on your phone” to them.
I was promised that surveillance capitalism would mean high quality ads that improved my quality of living. :blessed:
When I can’t block the ads, I always opt for the “non-personalized ads” option, since I know they are getting paid less. Also easier to ignore an ad when it is random.
$2/a night? Okay Mr Moneybags, must be nice to be so rich!
Garbage ads predate the internet.
Eloquently/elegantly put
Firefox plus uBlock Origin is what you can do about it. I hardly ever see any ads. SponsorBlock is great if you watch youtube too.
I never see any ads.
Yeah I see seeing ads as a skill issue tbh
For example, Google Chrome has stopped the use of auto-play video.
Even setting aside ads, that was virtually always something that I did not want.
If websites like CNN want someone to watch video, put the video up with autoplay off. If someone wants to watch it, they can start it playing.
But then they can't ~~force you to watch~~ claim that you watched the ad at the start of the video for that sweet advertiser revenue.
What ads?
🤷♂️
Advertising needs to become as socially acceptable as smoking.
It indiscriminately pollutes the environments it’s projected in to, and causes secondary harms to non-participants by incentivising the mass hoarding of personal information which is uneconomical to appropriately secure.
Because it's "too hard" for websites to have proper relationships with advertisers vs just signing onto an ad network.
I still think targeted ads should be illegal. I would accept static ads that are based on the content of the site rather than me as a compromise.
So like if I'm looking at example.com/cool-bikes you can show me bike ads. You don't need to know who I am or track me.
It's good enough for the past few decades (centuries?) it's good enough for now. The Superbowl doesn't serve a different ad to every viewer.
And targetted ads aren't that much more effective than context based. So the internet has been compromised, misinformation has run rife, and platforms hijacked to threaten democratic nations so some corporations can have 6% more effective advertising. What a deal. I believe thats the approx effectiveness difference.
Yeah or bike adjacent stuff.. helmet, chain lube.. hell even a biking vacation.. but stop with the profiling
Because US capitalism.
Remember the purpose of ads is to advertise a product that might potentially sell. Quality control isn't always a priority it's capitalism after all. At the end of the day, if you just want to block ads, just block ads.
there are products that I would buy if I would know they exist but I don't because they don't have enough money to do advertisment. It's inherently an unfair competition. The only ads that I would like to see is a tematical search for all of the buyable products and services.
***
that might potentially sell
+++ that is pushed with money
Here's what I do about it:
The reason is programmatic advertising and Google has 90% market share there. Btw, it helps spreading misinformation too.
What really annoys me is the endless stream of scam, "earn money fast with 1 simple trick" ads
It's literally a scam every single time and trying to report those fall into deaf ears (or blind algorithms) because hey, they're paying to be shown, why should any high ranking executive care? "Oh, I can't be held responsible, sorry!"
What can we do about it? Is this some grandpa's first time on the internet?
Unfortunately, it may be difficult to do much without some kind of intervention at a larger scale (i.e. government intervention) but so much money is made from these ads. Money talks. There are also people who don’t know about ad blockers or simply don’t care to run one.
I do agree with one comment below of static advertisements to promote a product or service . It reminds me something like tv commercials. The targeted ones is just asking for trouble for your privacy and getting scammed.
Wanna know why prices everywhere went up so much? They had to pay all the advertising companies for the billions of ads they’ve been trying to force us to watch everywhere, from tv to internet to roadside billboards. So the consumer had to pay.
(No, not really, but it sure feels that way)
All ads are garbage. There's no such thing as a good ad. They are in place to push an entities will upon you, there is no upside to any ad for the viewer. Firefox and Ublock Origin for safety and sanity.
Don't people use ad blockers? If not, learn how to use one instead to complain.