6 ms·

"The other thing about ads is that 41 percent of millennials are using ad block. My daughter has ad block and she goes around infecting every machine she gets t

by drpgq 12y ago

"The other thing about ads is that 41 percent of millennials are using ad block. My daughter has ad block and she goes around infecting every machine she gets to. She puts it on everything." Didn't realize that ad block was that popular with millennials. I was always thought it was more popular with those that were tech savvy regardless of age.

dublinben 12y ago
>infecting I would use a different word here, but I love her spirit!
virmundi 12y ago
I wonder how effective ads are getting on the web anyway. I'm techy, and I filter them mentally. My wife is consumer literate technical and filters them mentally too. And I have Ad Block.
- digi_owl 12y ago
  I seem to recall a recent article claiming that companies has started to ask themselves the same thing.
  - TheOtherHobbes 12y ago
    There's always been something cargo culty about online advertising. If that market implodes, it's going to be... interesting.
    - ghaff 12y ago
      I thought that a while ago. It hasn't happened yet but that doesn't mean it won't. And even if it doesn't implode, it could certainly decline significantly. A HUGE amount of the "free" services and content that pretty much all of us take so much for granted around the web are directly or indirectly supported by online advertising. Take that away and, as you say, it will be interesting.
      - toomuchtodo 12y ago
        Gmail? I'd pay for. Netflix? I already pay for. Online content? Sure, I'll pay a few bucks a month for the Economist or the NY Times. I already pay for Evernote, Flickr, etc. What free services am I going to miss?
        ghaff 12y ago
        Search? Pretty much all content provided beyond the individual level (and even some of that)?
bambax 12y ago
I have yet to meet someone who's aware of AdBlock's existence and doesn't use it...
- mike_hearn 12y ago
  Me. I don't use it, never have. Are ads annoying - sure. But so are paywalls, so are websites that are entirely VC funded and desperately growth hacking until they can sell out to a bigger company. The web is an expensive thing, very expensive. By not blocking ads I'm doing my bit to help fund it. I see ad blocking as a lot like piracy: understandable in some cases, but still basically freeloading on those of us who support the creation of the content.
  - 1123581321 12y ago
    My semi-serious opinion is that by using Adblock, you are helping fund the web in the long run by collapsing bad ad-driven behavior and making more pastoral models compare favorably.
digi_owl 12y ago
I think the sites brought it upon themselves by accepting ads that move and sometimes even play sounds. This distract from the content people want to read etc in ways that static images can't (tho there are some ads, for various movies etc, that can be "distracting" no matter what).
3pt14159 12y ago
I would guess that at least 20 points of that 41 percent is due to Youtube. Which is ironic, given that it probably hurts Google the most. For a long time I held out but after learning about ad-malware and being bothered by Youtube's 15th ad when I just wanted to listen to music, I just said screw it.
- digi_owl 12y ago
  Didn't know these blockers could handle youtube video ads. And if you really want to listen to music undisturbed, why not get a Spotify subscription?
  - 3pt14159 12y ago
    Spotify doesn't (or at least didn't when I tried it) work that well in Canada. I had a paid Rdio subscription, but the service kept getting worse. The only thing that let me play what I wanted to play was Youtube.
probably_wrong 12y ago
I found the comment about incognito mode interesting. I've been been using my browser like that for almost a year now, but I thought I was the only one. I never thought anyone outside tech would do it either.
hallman76 12y ago
I have a report from Q3 of last year that breaks down adblocker usage by age range: 16-24: 34% 25-34: 32% 35-44: 26% 45-64: 22% 55-64: 18% I found those numbers pretty surprising since installing a browser extension isn't a typical user behavior.
untog 12y ago
But those millenials also overwhelmingly use mobile, so I'm not sure what the overall effect is there.
- oconnore 12y ago
  You can install adblock and uBlock on mobile (and it's probably even more valuable, since you have less data to spare)

by drpgq 12y ago

dublinben 12y ago

>infecting I would use a different word here, but I love her spirit!

virmundi 12y ago

I wonder how effective ads are getting on the web anyway. I'm techy, and I filter them mentally. My wife is consumer literate technical and filters them mentally too. And I have Ad Block.

digi_owl 12y ago
I seem to recall a recent article claiming that companies has started to ask themselves the same thing.
- TheOtherHobbes 12y ago
  There's always been something cargo culty about online advertising. If that market implodes, it's going to be... interesting.
  - ghaff 12y ago
    I thought that a while ago. It hasn't happened yet but that doesn't mean it won't. And even if it doesn't implode, it could certainly decline significantly. A HUGE amount of the "free" services and content that pretty much all of us take so much for granted around the web are directly or indirectly supported by online advertising. Take that away and, as you say, it will be interesting.
    - toomuchtodo 12y ago
      Gmail? I'd pay for. Netflix? I already pay for. Online content? Sure, I'll pay a few bucks a month for the Economist or the NY Times. I already pay for Evernote, Flickr, etc. What free services am I going to miss?
      - ghaff 12y ago
        Search? Pretty much all content provided beyond the individual level (and even some of that)?

bambax 12y ago

I have yet to meet someone who's aware of AdBlock's existence and doesn't use it...

mike_hearn 12y ago
Me. I don't use it, never have. Are ads annoying - sure. But so are paywalls, so are websites that are entirely VC funded and desperately growth hacking until they can sell out to a bigger company. The web is an expensive thing, very expensive. By not blocking ads I'm doing my bit to help fund it. I see ad blocking as a lot like piracy: understandable in some cases, but still basically freeloading on those of us who support the creation of the content.
- 1123581321 12y ago
  My semi-serious opinion is that by using Adblock, you are helping fund the web in the long run by collapsing bad ad-driven behavior and making more pastoral models compare favorably.

digi_owl 12y ago

I think the sites brought it upon themselves by accepting ads that move and sometimes even play sounds. This distract from the content people want to read etc in ways that static images can't (tho there are some ads, for various movies etc, that can be "distracting" no matter what).

3pt14159 12y ago

I would guess that at least 20 points of that 41 percent is due to Youtube. Which is ironic, given that it probably hurts Google the most. For a long time I held out but after learning about ad-malware and being bothered by Youtube's 15th ad when I just wanted to listen to music, I just said screw it.

digi_owl 12y ago
Didn't know these blockers could handle youtube video ads. And if you really want to listen to music undisturbed, why not get a Spotify subscription?
- 3pt14159 12y ago
  Spotify doesn't (or at least didn't when I tried it) work that well in Canada. I had a paid Rdio subscription, but the service kept getting worse. The only thing that let me play what I wanted to play was Youtube.

probably_wrong 12y ago

I found the comment about incognito mode interesting. I've been been using my browser like that for almost a year now, but I thought I was the only one. I never thought anyone outside tech would do it either.

hallman76 12y ago

I have a report from Q3 of last year that breaks down adblocker usage by age range: 16-24: 34% 25-34: 32% 35-44: 26% 45-64: 22% 55-64: 18% I found those numbers pretty surprising since installing a browser extension isn't a typical user behavior.

untog 12y ago

But those millenials also overwhelmingly use mobile, so I'm not sure what the overall effect is there.

oconnore 12y ago
You can install adblock and uBlock on mobile (and it's probably even more valuable, since you have less data to spare)