Using Adblock

Probably the last five years, I have used Adblock. It's one of those internet tools that is used to block ads that appear on websites and videos all over the web. But do companies understand why people do this? Do they get the complete picture?

When YouTube got big around 2007 and into 08, companies wanted in on the pie. As a result, ads for various products, films, etc. became the norm. That being said, it would usually be the same commercials. For example, it seemed like all I got was the T-Mobile ads with the one girl in the pink polka dot dress. Whatever flavor of the month film was coming out seemed to get a lot of internet air time. Typically it was horror films.

Using your own computer or laptop, you can pretty much get away with not seeing ads. However, colleges and schools don't use adblock, so you'll see commercials. The last ones I saw on a college computer was the same repeated Burger King ad for french fries that were healthier (Satisfries I think was the name of the product) As time has gone on, companies and sites have gotten wiser on what people have done and counteracted with stuff that forces you to see sponsored ads. In regards to that, it's really shitty.

Look, I get sites need money from advertisements. We are in an era where DVR and streaming is big and people can skip through commercials. The way they do it, however, needs to be changed. Sites need ads that aren't going to clog computers with viruses or malware. They also need to stop shoving the same things down everyone's throats. It's annoying when one sees the same Progressive image of that idiot Flo constantly. I remember one site constantly showing a Netflix advertisement image of Shutter Island from 2010. People understand that a business needs to thrive. They would rather not see a site get clogged and slowed down because they need to promote something that will be replaced with something else in a month's span.

Luckily, Adblock can still be used on YouTube via computers. When it's all said and done, sites and advertisers  have to think smarter and cater to what people want. Otherwise, more and more ways of blocking ads will still be a huge problem, (which I will still block ads) with no way to stop it.