If we all use enough of things like NextDNS then all ads will go away. Oh wait, suddenly all websites except those with a paywall will exist. No more news reports of any kind. No more free services. Nothing but a few sites that sell T-shirts to struggle to survive. I don't like the present web either, but somehow people have to make money. Unless we build in an infrastructure that easily allows me to pay you to run a business online, I fail to see how in the long run this total blockage of ads is a benefit for all.
Of course we live in HackerNewsLand, where the rest of technologically illiterate humanity pays by watching ads so that we don't have to.
Somehow we have to use technology to find a way to balance the needs of those who are online serving us content/information/etc with a less irritating and horrific way to pay for it. Without a solution for that, the future is going to be a lot less diverse and a lot more frustrating, although in a different way.
I don't thing most people are against ads.
What's the issue with a simple .png add in a banner or at the side as long as it's not screaming at you? or the occasional sponsored content.
There are 2 big issues that people hate about ads:
- Obnoxious ads that take away from you browsing experience
- Tracking, spying, privacy, monopolies from ad tech and all that stuff.
And those even combine, as all the tracking makes sites slower.
Hacker news works on the sponsored content way. (but it's just one sponoer which it's also its owner) The site is kept low cost as possible, and YC uses it to promote its startups
One YC posts on the front page, don't really bother us too much, as long as they don't become obnoxious.
If this happens we might get healthier Internet where every service is either a) actually free b) croudfunded on services like SubscribeStar c) has paid tiers d) uses first party ads from sponsors. There are plenty of services monetised like this already.
Third party ad networks are an anomaly and it's time for them to go.
Of course we live in HackerNewsLand, where the rest of technologically illiterate humanity pays by watching ads so that we don't have to.
Somehow we have to use technology to find a way to balance the needs of those who are online serving us content/information/etc with a less irritating and horrific way to pay for it. Without a solution for that, the future is going to be a lot less diverse and a lot more frustrating, although in a different way.