4 ms·

You would consider paying for another video hosting provider but wouldn't consider paying for YouTube?

ulrikrasmussen 3y ago
For me, yes. I do generally make sure that content creators that I like get paid, e.g. via Patreon. I still buy all my music, primarily on Bandcamp. I subscribe to streaming services and haven't sailed the seas to find movies for years. However, YouTube I will never pay for. Google has lost my trust, and I fear that they are in the process of destroying the internet and turning it into a walled garden riddled with unblockable ads everywhere. I use uBlock to block their ads because (1) I don't want to watch them, and (2) I want to actively hurt Google financially by spending their compute resources but not giving them ad impressions. I make sure that the content creators I follow get paid otherwise, so I think this is perfectly morally consistent.
- lucubratory 3y ago
  Fair enough if it's a protest, I assumed you were looking for solutions and got confused.
Toutouxc 3y ago
I totally understand, I pay for Nebula but block ads on YouTube and refuse to pay for it out of spite.
skinkestek 3y ago
Clearly. And for the longest time I didn't even block Google ads. It was kind of a deal between them and me: they serve me ads in exchange for excellent free services. Lately however the quality has sunk through the floor and the annoyance has skyrocketed. It is almost like they don't care about the ads pr se, it seems they only want to turn the lever up until I start subscribing. And it won't surprise me a bit if after a few years it is pay + ads. I use Google the way I use Microsoft, when it is convenient for me. They have broken so many implicit contracts with everyone of us that none of us owe them anything except what the law says. ------ The ads were always rubbish for me (I hear other people had scarily good ads) but "my" Google ads hit a few times in a decade. (Facebook was however scarily good: I hardly use Facebook or any of their properties at all, and still every time I log in they seem to have something I am tempted to buy).

For me, yes. I do generally make sure that content creators that I like get paid, e.g. via Patreon. I still buy all my music, primarily on Bandcamp. I subscribe to streaming services and haven't sailed the seas to find movies for years. However, YouTube I will never pay for. Google has lost my trust, and I fear that they are in the process of destroying the internet and turning it into a walled garden riddled with unblockable ads everywhere. I use uBlock to block their ads because (1) I don't want to watch them, and (2) I want to actively hurt Google financially by spending their compute resources but not giving them ad impressions. I make sure that the content creators I follow get paid otherwise, so I think this is perfectly morally consistent.

lucubratory 3y ago
Fair enough if it's a protest, I assumed you were looking for solutions and got confused.

Toutouxc 3y ago

I totally understand, I pay for Nebula but block ads on YouTube and refuse to pay for it out of spite.

skinkestek 3y ago

Clearly. And for the longest time I didn't even block Google ads. It was kind of a deal between them and me: they serve me ads in exchange for excellent free services. Lately however the quality has sunk through the floor and the annoyance has skyrocketed. It is almost like they don't care about the ads pr se, it seems they only want to turn the lever up until I start subscribing. And it won't surprise me a bit if after a few years it is pay + ads. I use Google the way I use Microsoft, when it is convenient for me. They have broken so many implicit contracts with everyone of us that none of us owe them anything except what the law says. ------ The ads were always rubbish for me (I hear other people had scarily good ads) but "my" Google ads hit a few times in a decade. (Facebook was however scarily good: I hardly use Facebook or any of their properties at all, and still every time I log in they seem to have something I am tempted to buy).