To the pro-advertisers reading this, I feel your pain. I have long standing clients who depend on ad revenue, such as print publications that early on successfully transition to the web, who are now really struggling.
However, I aggressively use ad blockers. Here is why:
* the majority of the ads I see on the Internet are of the sort that I use to find in the back of magazines. Crap I would never read is now force feed to me front and center
* nearly every single web page is OVERLOADED with ads. Take a look at a print copy of the New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, etc. Feature articles often have few or even NO ads. In fact, feature articles often start with two pages of JUST content.
* the way the ads work often kills my battery life. NOT COOL. You have no right to kill my battery life.
* You track us with no way to really opt out with out using ad blockers.
* You use the tracking info to target people. Including targeting children and at-risk (mentally impaired) adults. It is very different to have a scam artist with a small ad in the back of a magazine, compared to a phishing web ad that is trying to take advantage of an elderly grandma whose bank account is a click away.
* you burn my bandwidth. this is bad on WiFi, evil on cell data. You have no right to rack up cellular charges on my behalf.
* I don't trust the Kirby vacuum sales person in my home, I don't trust your javascript laden ads on my computer.
While I blanket block ads on the Internet, I do allow ads on sites that only use simple graphics and text for ads. And who demonstrate that they respect me as a reader and potential client.
edit: clarified I was referring to the "print" editions of the New Yorker & SI
The worst for me is when I open something on my phone and start reading and a huge ad appears and takes up my whole screen telling me to put in my email to subscribe to the website. Then I have to scroll around to find the little X to close it. It's maddening.
Only slightly less worse is the same thing happening on my laptop after I have had a few seconds to start reading the first paragraph, then the whole page dims and a full-page ad appears.
Adblock gets rid of this stuff and it's why I use it and will continue to do so in the future, but I do leave the whitelist on for unobtrusive advertising.
I just wish AdBlocker could get rid of that awful Forbes "Thought of the Day" page that always opens. Unfortunately the best it can do it get rid of the ad on that page, but still annoying.
I forgot to add, I have had healthcare providers, attorneys and other professionals with legal obligations to maintain client privacy ask how they can do this on the web.
I have to advise them to use ad blockers as part of their privacy tools.
I've never used an ad blocker and I feel like you are over-exaggerating each of these points. I'm guessing I'll be in the minority on HN though. What kind of sites do you visit that have all these terrible ads? I don't even think porn sites, which have notoriously bad ads, are even that bad.
* the over the top clutter of ads on many sites is a really problem. I try to avoid such sites, but it is not always possible.
* I have been on the Internet since 1991. I am expecting to be on it for another 30 or more years. I am weighing a life time of risk, not a single page visit.
This last point is key. One bad actor, using one Zero Day exploit could cause a huge amount of personal pain for me. As a web developer for 20 years, I learned long ago to do everything in my power to prepare and to the extent possible prevent being hit by a Zero Day.
You may feel differently, but I personally see huge risk over the course of a lifetime.
However, I aggressively use ad blockers. Here is why:
* the majority of the ads I see on the Internet are of the sort that I use to find in the back of magazines. Crap I would never read is now force feed to me front and center
* nearly every single web page is OVERLOADED with ads. Take a look at a print copy of the New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, etc. Feature articles often have few or even NO ads. In fact, feature articles often start with two pages of JUST content.
* the way the ads work often kills my battery life. NOT COOL. You have no right to kill my battery life.
* You track us with no way to really opt out with out using ad blockers.
* You use the tracking info to target people. Including targeting children and at-risk (mentally impaired) adults. It is very different to have a scam artist with a small ad in the back of a magazine, compared to a phishing web ad that is trying to take advantage of an elderly grandma whose bank account is a click away.
* you burn my bandwidth. this is bad on WiFi, evil on cell data. You have no right to rack up cellular charges on my behalf.
* I don't trust the Kirby vacuum sales person in my home, I don't trust your javascript laden ads on my computer.
While I blanket block ads on the Internet, I do allow ads on sites that only use simple graphics and text for ads. And who demonstrate that they respect me as a reader and potential client.
edit: clarified I was referring to the "print" editions of the New Yorker & SI