Ad Blockers helped kill the open web(christianheilmann.com)
christianheilmann.com
Ad Blockers helped kill the open web
https://christianheilmann.com/2025/12/17/ad-blockers-helped-kill-the-open-web/
5 comments
Incorrect. Totally incorrect.
I don't mind an ad. Put it somewhere where it doesn't break the flow of the page or video, and we're all good.
However, people got so thirsty for ad revenue, it became a game of "find the content" on most sites. At least an ad blocker restores some sanity and I can read the article. I pay for YT premium to drop the ads, especially on devices like my tv, where I don't want to muck about with intermediate tech like a pihole. And I don't mind paying a reasonable amount for stuff I enjoy. I don't mind paying for YT prem.
Ad blockers are being targeted here, but it's a misdirection to blame them. Blame the people who make shit sites you can't read. Blame the corporations which have to turn a profit whilst charging you nothing. All good. But don't blame the user for trying to just survive on the net, with all the ad spam and especially all the deceptive advertising out there. Blaming the user and the blocker is a complete grifter move.
In addition, the web is now currently on a crazy downward cycle as everyone tries to block ai agents, all the while making the experience for legitimate users worse. But isn't that just the way? Most things that suck do so because someone has exploited the weaknesses of the system for personal gain, and someone had had to impose restrictions.
The web is shit because people are selfish and shit. Most especially the money hungry ai grifters trying to get us to by a faulty product to break them out of the hole they dug.
I don't mind an ad. Put it somewhere where it doesn't break the flow of the page or video, and we're all good.
However, people got so thirsty for ad revenue, it became a game of "find the content" on most sites. At least an ad blocker restores some sanity and I can read the article. I pay for YT premium to drop the ads, especially on devices like my tv, where I don't want to muck about with intermediate tech like a pihole. And I don't mind paying a reasonable amount for stuff I enjoy. I don't mind paying for YT prem.
Ad blockers are being targeted here, but it's a misdirection to blame them. Blame the people who make shit sites you can't read. Blame the corporations which have to turn a profit whilst charging you nothing. All good. But don't blame the user for trying to just survive on the net, with all the ad spam and especially all the deceptive advertising out there. Blaming the user and the blocker is a complete grifter move.
In addition, the web is now currently on a crazy downward cycle as everyone tries to block ai agents, all the while making the experience for legitimate users worse. But isn't that just the way? Most things that suck do so because someone has exploited the weaknesses of the system for personal gain, and someone had had to impose restrictions.
The web is shit because people are selfish and shit. Most especially the money hungry ai grifters trying to get us to by a faulty product to break them out of the hole they dug.
All of this, plus there was a time when even legitimate websites (as in, not crime and not porn) partnered with ad networks who would use tricks and drive-by downloads to install things.
Related recent discussion:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46326021
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46301629
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46326021
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46301629
Cory Doctorow's "Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It" is the authority on this subject.
Consider this: If I go to an electronics store and they try to sell me a new soundbar I won't mind. But if I want to buy noodles and they still want to sell me a TV I checked out I definitely would freak out.