I use ad-blocker software on all of my devices. I don’t want to see ads for things I’ll never buy. I don’t want my personal data to be tracked, analyzed and resold. I don’t want my screens filled with promotions for drugs, political donation solicitations, and crappy clothing made by a no-name Chinese manufacturer. I especially never want to the Taboola, Outbrain and Adroll clickbait-style ads that masquerade as legitimate articles.
The ad blockers work pretty well to keep this interruptive garbage to a minimum.
News and media sites, however, use a new disruptive technique. A few seconds after I open a page, a pop-up opens that covers the entire screen with two buttons – one to disable my ad blocker and another to subscribe. If I scroll to the very bottom, there’s a teeny-tiny text link for “continue without supporting us this time.”
You know which one I choose.
Like all pop-ups, this is annoying. Instead of seeing the content I want, I get a glimpse of it for a few seconds, followed by a slow loading of the popup, then a delay before I can scroll and click to bypass it.
That’s about the exact opposite of a good Internet experience.
Some will say I only have two choices. I have to pay – either by subjecting myself to ads and having my private information captures and resold, or by subscribing. Nothing is free after all.
Well, there is a 3rd choice. I can stop visiting these sites altogether.
Which is what I am doing.
It’s interesting for me to watch the decline of radio, TV, and newspapers. During my lifetime, all three were huge businesses, that offered somewhat decent content. The dotcom boom in the late 1990’s was when I noticed the beginning of the decline. In the 20+ years since, content has gotten worse, ads more pervasive and attempts to maximize revenue more pathetic and annoying.
It’s no wonder so many have gone out of business. In their attempts to wring revenue from advertising, they forgot something – we, the consumers, are the real customer. The combination of low quality content and an every more unpleasant experience will eventually drive us away.
Is there a solution?
I have no idea. I’m not in the media business.
I’ve been a paid subscriber to a few services:
NY Times Online– I cancelled this in 2016 because the “Trump always and all the time” content was repetitive and uninteresting. Plus, the times uses a bait and switch pricing tactic with a cheap starting fee that increases exponentially after a few months. It was not worth it. It’s too bad, because even as late as 2016, the NYT had some great writers.
NetFlix – Lots of content for a low price. My interest in most streaming content wanes fairy quickly. I haven’t lasted with Netflix for more than a month each year in the dead of winter.
Apple Music, Apple iCloud – I switched to Apple after I got an iPhone for my road trip in 2019. I’ve been an Apple subscriber for 4 years now. Apple has a fantastic interface, is ad free and offers a seamless experience. The $10-$15 I pay each month is well worth it.
I have yet to subscribe to a single substack or “premium” membership for individual podcasts. Instead I fast forward past the ads for overpriced subscription meal kits, foam mattresses and toothbrushes. Eventually, I expect podcast to go the way of traditional media when they realize nobody is buying anything they promote. I don’t look forward to the decline. But when it gets bad enough, I’ll find something else to listen to.