Youtube and others want their users to disable adblockers to increase their revenue from advertisements, but will forcing the users to so do be effective in the long-term? What unexpected consequences could occur? Why do people use adblockers in the first place? Why aren't more users buying Youtube Premium as a solution? Do adblock users still contribute value to websites? Can websites effectively enforce such policies? Are there ways to naturally encourage more users to disable their adblockers instead? Enjoy my informal and assorted ramblings as I learn basic video editing skills. For more examples of the Cobra Effect, here is a playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lUrH4Sbgh8&list=PLBuns9Evn1w9XhnH7vVh_7C65wJbaBECK Be aware: The publisher of this series, Reason TV, hit the nail on the head with exploring this concept, but they do have a HEAVY libertarian bias, and I do not agree with everything that they publish. Be aware before you watch a series that could alter your recommendations. Supplemental links and sources will (slowly) be updated here. I should have done so in the first place, but future videos won't have this issue. Adblocker legality in Germany: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/11/adblock-plus-wins-its-6th-court-case-brought-by-der-spiegel/ FBI on Adblockers: https://www.ic3.gov/Media/Y2022/PSA221221?=8324278624 NSA, CIA, and others on adblockers: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21068028-wyden-letter-to-omb-on-ad-blocking Interesting article from Australia not in video: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3455730/government-agencies-ordered-to-block-online-ads-flash.html Good info on adblock detection and GDPR compliance: https://iabeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/20160516-IABEU_Guidance_AdBlockerDetection.pdf Insight on undisclosed ads: https://www.vox.com/recode/23197348/tiktok-ad-sponcon-influencers Several cases where a website agreement was not enforceable (not the same as legal precedence): https://www.lexisnexis.com/community/casebrief/p/casebrief-specht-v-netscape-commc-ns-corp https://www.lexisnexis.com/community/casebrief/p/casebrief-nguyen-v-barnes-noble-inc https://www.lexisnexis.com/community/casebrief/p/casebrief-meyer-v-uber-techs-inc
  • Iwasondigg@lemmy.one
    2·
    1 year ago

    Personally, I don’t mind when ads are reasonable for a website or service I’m getting for free. I think people should get paid for the service they are providing. The problem is it always eventually gets out of control and at that point, yeah I’m going to block your ads.

    I was on a website earlier today and 80% of the screen was ads. Sorry, you’re getting added to my block list.

    • SokathHisEyesOpen@lemmy.mlEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      Just never go to a website like that again if you have the choice. Seeing a drop in visitors and ad revenue after making the decision to pepper the entire screen with ads is the only thing that will cause the webmaster to reverse that decision.

  • Beej Jorgensen@lemmy.sdf.org
    1·
    1 year ago

    I was a premium subscriber for a long time, and probably still would be if Google hadn’t turned so evil that I can no longer in good conscience pay them any money.

    But what pushed me over the edge with an ad blocker was a page I got to where every paragraph had a video ad in between. That was it.

  • 4dpuzzle@beehaw.orgEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    YouTube started nearly (or completely?) ad-free and stayed that way till all of their competition was dead, people were addicted to it and there was no alternative. Then they started turning up the ad knob - gradually to avoid people leaving for something newer, until it was so obnoxious that ad blockers became common among even nontechnical users. Now they’re gas lighting ad block users as if they are committing a crime.

    YouTube wouldn’t be in a position to make these unfair demands if they didn’t use their enormous wealth to create a video hosting monopoly and subjecting their users to bait and switch. F*** Google and their pretend morality. F*** them for destroying the web experience. F*** them for destroying web access and livelihood for many by banning their accounts and neglecting all appeals. I’m sure not going to create revenue for a very abusive, unethical and evil corporation.

    If content creators want to get paid, start a patreon account or something. Or join a paid subscription service like nebula. I’m open to all those. I just don’t want a disgusting leech in between.

  • TheEntity@kbin.social
    0·
    1 year ago

    I’d be fine with ads, but Google’s policy is only superficially about ads. They want surveillance and user profiling, not ads. Ads are just a way to deliver these. Over my dead body.

    • agegamon@beehaw.org
      1·
      1 year ago

      I have to play devil’s advocate here. Are you really fine with the current level of ads? Fine with some past/historical level less than now? What level is ok exactly?

      To me the current level of youtube ads is unhinged. Even minus the privacy issues it’s not usable. And it got that way (to me, at least) as soon as skip wait timers (remember when that was all we had to deal with?) became a thing.

      Now? With unskippable ads, huge wait timers, and ads injected into the middle of 8-minute videos? Nope nope nooope. Not a chance in hell would I watch unblocked or non-premium youtube.

      • TheEntity@kbin.social
        1·
        1 year ago

        Fair enough, let me rephrase. I’m willing to negotiate about ads, the exact boundaries yet to be discussed. My privacy and my data are absolutely off limits, especially if they’re gonna pretend it’s not even about these.