Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Dealing With 'Advertising Pollution'

Posted by Soulskill on from the can-we-please-come-up-with-a-new-funding-model dept.

theodp writes: "Everyone gets that advertising is what powers the internet, and that our favorite sites wouldn't exist without it," writes longtime ad guy Ken Segall in The Relentless (and annoying) Pursuit of Eyeballs. "Unfortunately, for some this is simply license to abuse. Let's call it what it is: advertising pollution." CNN's in-your-face, your-video-will-play-in-00:25-seconds approach, once unthinkable, has become the norm. "Google," Segall adds, "is a leader in advertising pollution, with YouTube being a showcase for intrusive advertising. Many YouTube videos start with a mandatory ad, others start with an ad that can be dismissed only after the first 10 seconds. Even more annoying are the ad overlays that actually appear on top of the video you're trying to watch. It won't go away until you click the X. If you want to see the entire video unobstructed, you must drag the playhead back to start over. Annoying. And disrespectful." Google proposed using cap and trade penalties to penalize traditional polluters — how about for those who pollute the Internet?

3 of 418 comments (clear)

  1. Good point by desertrat_it · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I sat down to watch Paddington Bear with my 19 month old son.

    The advert that I couldn't skip was for a horror movie.

    Thanks, youtube. That was *fantastic*.

  2. Reason I installed addblock. by Insomnium · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I installed addblock because videos and streams I watched had add volume loudness so loud that it was a real problem. I often watch videos during the night and when the loudness jumps up for the adds it becomes annoying really fast. And that was the only reason.

    I don't really mind adds and I know they run the content creators, but just that one small issue was enough for me.

  3. Let's call it what it is: SPAM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Ads are spam. Does spam power email? Do pirates power seafaring?