@alternativeto

My sentiments exactly! Thank you to whoever drew/shared this!

@alternativeto

It's a really big internet and there are a whole bunch of places to go and be entertained, informed, provoked, whatever-you're-trying-to-do.

@alternativeto I was ok with websites serving me adverts to generate revenue. Which is how ads used to work.

But it's a level beyond that now, and far more nefarious. Websites now use trackers dressed as adverts, so third parties can collate the info, invade my privacy and flog that data in a way that could be used against me.

They broke the social agreement, so I'm not accepting their ads or their cookies, and I'm blocking their trackers whenever I can.

@alternativeto

I don't have Ad Blocker. It's not perfect but the on off switch works fairly well.

@alternativeto
Every ad that we see makes an imprint in our brain. It uses our own brain resources to store itself in memory, in the connections between our own neurons, because that's what our brains naturally do.
Who knows, it might even be consolidated in there and compete with actual, useful memories of our real lives.. Biasing the competition in their favour, ads are designed to attract our attention and stick in our memory as much as possible.

Like cigarettes rot our lungs, it's very likely ads rot our brains.. We should protect ourselves from them and set up boundaries while we can!

@alternativeto

Alt Ending:

user: “fine I guess I’ll turn off my ad blocker, just this one time though.”

*immediately gets redirected to a site telling them to download some random ass browser extension*

user: “yeahhhhh fuck no.”

@alternativeto

If a web site is too difficult to use, whether it complains about my software blocking its advertising and/or trackers, a paywall, a tracking wall, questionable terms of service, etc., I'm not shy about pulling up (and sharing) a link to an archived copy.

archive.ph has been a good service

@alternativeto

I never use my smart TV using the TV functions. I *only* use it via HDMI cord from my desktop, which is running Firefox and uBlock Origin.

No ads whatsoever on Prime, YouTube, or Tubi.

I have a visceral, almost trauma response to seeing an ad. If I see an ad from your company, not only will I never buy your product, I will contemplate going to your corporate headquarters and burning it to the ground.

Also, thank fuck for VPNs and The Pirate Bay

@alternativeto fun fact! the adblocker contains an overlay element remover which i can point at the message telling me to remove the adblocker,

*pop

@alternativeto This was exactly my reaction to Boing Boing requiring that I turn off my ad blocker some month ago. Or pay a monthly subscription.

Enshitification has been lurking in the background of the site with their questionable merch vendor. When I came back randomly some 6 month later, they'd removed the ad block ban and switched to a freemium model. But the artlcles were a lot crappier.

Haven't gone back since. RIP.

@alternativeto when ads were small static text blocks I didn't mind. As soon as they started to move, pop-up or pop-under I started to block them. I've used an adblock of some sort for so long now I'd forgotten what some sites look like with ads.

Any site that says turn off your block gets ignored, and there are no exceptions.

If ads weren't annoying, were relevant to the site, legal, static, small, then I may consider unblocking them, it's their own fault they get blocked.

@alternativeto I struggle with this. I don't use an ad blocker, because the ones who made the site should get paid. But yes, a lot of sites are F---ING OBNOXIOUS with the way they handle their ads. Typically, I just close the tab when I come across them. Not worth it.

That way, I don't "cheat" sites with acceptable ad practices out of their compensation, and I also don't get to view content "for free" (read: without seeing their ads) on obnoxious sites. I just say no thanks to them. Feels fair.