AD BLOCKERS, MY VIEWS

AD BLOCKERS, MY VIEWS

They say coffee shop ambiance is a sure way to increase your concentration and thus your productivity, so much so now that you can even stream the ambiance here.  Well we are here at the coffee shop and we are going to put this to the test, well somewhat, I just want to nail this blog in one shot, thus the double shot of espresso among my turtle flavoring.

Well here it is let’s knock it home.

For all the fuss that is raised about net neutrality, keeping the net FREE and open for the free distribution of information, the ability for everyone to have a voice and for those voices to either be subscribed to or ignored. We raise a lot of fuss, a lot of noise, about freedom of speech, and equal bandwidth for all, as rightly as we should but when we are confronted with some slight annoyances on a web page then the tables turn and voices fall silent.

The use of ad blocking software is on the rise and with the increase comes a decrease in revenue for those websites you choose to visit, while your plug in blocks the ads on that particular site. Can you guess where this argument is headed? I’m sure you probably can, but the hard cold truth of the matter is that you don’t want the free internet, the freedom of expression to be hampered in any way, but with your myriad of justifications fall to the ground when you consider how your action may truly hamper the freedom of expression of not only the web site you are visiting, but the web as a whole is hampered when your ad blocker is equipped, shame on you. It is your actions that is hampering freedom of speech, not some crazed dictator in a faraway place, but you sitting at the computer and blocking your ads. You are that dictator, you are that crazed man in a faraway land, and you are the one who is now in control of the regime that will silence the internet once and for all.

Now this is not empty threats as the far left would have you believe, but simply a matter of economics, nothing more nothing less.

Quickest way to silence a blogger? Run add blocking software.

Quickest way to silence a non-politically correct point of view? Run add blocking software.

This is some serious biz, not only for the content creators, because for some it is the only source of revenue, but in the processes it becomes detrimental to everything we profess to believe about freedom of speech, and free information. Put your money where your mouth is, and disable that add blocker.

Still you want to argue? The saddest part about the argument is simply this . . . You will be the one who cries the loudest when the information you want is not available because you get a whale fail (401 error) when you try to load a page, you will turn to disgust when they launch a subscription only service (gated content, so much for open and free). The only one you have to blame will be yourself, you and your equipped ad blocker single handedly destroyed the internet as we know it. I hope your happy with yourself, may your name be cursed for generations to come.

Is the system abused by some, most definitely, but as net savvy of an individual you claim to be, you should be able to steer safely away from the click bait sites.

Would you rather have communities gated where you can’t get in unless you click the ads first?  What is it that your actions accomplish in order to protect the freedom of freely exchanged ideas and information?

What if we simply stopped broadcasting the commercials during the super bowl, do you think the networks would continue to broadcast with no financial incentive? Production would cease, investors would dry up and so would the salaries of the best paid in the NFL. Let’s all block those ads and say goodbye to one of our favorite pastimes.

Well turtle mocha is gone, and rough draft is finished. I hope you will give this some food for thought. I believe this is a valid argument against ad blockers, what is your view? Please leave a comment below. 

Copyright 2015 Steven J. Bradley