Sorry, I don't buy it. Advertisers do not expect to get a purchase for every view, they're just trying to get your attention so they can pitch you their busines

Sorry, I don't buy it. Advertisers do not expect to get a purchase for every view, they're just trying to get your attention so they can pitch you their business idea. If they're able to get you to listen, and you think that the advertiser's service adds value to your life, you might pay for it. If not, your lack of a purchase is a statement to the business that, yes, you understand their service, but it's not helpful to you. If everyone does this, the advertiser's business model probably isn't very good, just like a brick-and-mortar store that lots of people walk through without buying anything. This is the way business works, if you can't get a profitable number of people interested enough to spend money, your business fails. OTOH, every time you load an Ars page without loading the ad, you cost them money and deny them revenue. This time, Ars is the business, and you're confirming that their service provides value in your life, but you're refusing to pay the cost that goes along with this benefit: allowing an ad to load. It's definitely not stealing, but it doesn't seem that far off to me. Comparing this to "hurting" businesses by just not being interested in the product they provide seems ludicrous.