I've been blocking ads for so long that actually seeing them feels perverse

I use ad blockers and open source privacy focused software whenever I can but occasionally I have to use computers that don’t belong to me or an older phone where my usual applications aren’t installed and seeing all the advertisements just feels dirty and dystopian.

I think the worst ads are the text to speech ones that say “Download this app today”. The unblinking energenic people saying you can make a living at home are probably a close second.

0x2d,

so of course I have ublock origin on my computer, AdAway on my phone and pihole on my network, but the school computers actually prevent you from installing any adblocking extensions

anyway at school I see a lot of “download Wave Browser/OneLaunch/PC app store/other random crapware” ads and videos in the corner and I can barely read anything on the site

provomeister, (edited )
@provomeister@lemmy.ca avatar

It’s times like these that you remember how the Internet has become filled with advertisements to the point that it interferes with normal use. Not suprising to hear older folks still getting random crap on their devices when it’s shown in their face every moment.

stevedidWHAT,
@stevedidWHAT@lemmy.world avatar

Wavebrowser/Onelaunch are fucking CANCER literally everywhere all the time in ads. Tired of google letting them use their ad service, but ya know, gotta get that money anyway how and in every way.

doinks,

It’s insidious. I worked IT at a nonprofit that cares for disabled people, and every so often I’d find that OneLaunch toolbar at the top of one of our PCs and have to go in and uninstall it. I’d look in the history and see that one of the care personnel googled something like “printable calendar” and got tricked into clicking one of those ads. I don’t know how google expects you to use the Internet without blocking all that shit.

pineapplelover,

Is it wave browser or are you misspelling brave? I haven’t seen an ad in a while

0x2d,

Wave browser is a real thing. It’s a PUP adware web browser based on Chromium with Yahoo as the default search engine

gaydarless,

Does anyone have recommendations on how to block ads on Android without rooting? I’ve tried AdAway but it doesn’t seem to be terribly effective. I’m pretty tied into Chrome and would prefer not to change browsers but I understand I might have to.

sickpusy,

When not rooted I have two main free solutions.

You can use nextdns on your home network. They have around 200,000k free requests. For 2 people it seems to work out to around 20 days of ad blocks. This particularly helps with the ads on the TV as well.

Otherwise you have the options to use Firefox with extensions or Brave without (I know it’s not popular around here). You can also use ReVanced for youtube blocks.

For most usage that free combination suffices for me.

AphoticDev,

You’re pretty much gonna have to switch browsers. There are other options, but they don’t work as well as uBlock Origin. The best alternative to that is a VPN that blocks ads, like Proton. But they aren’t as good at blocking. They will, however, remove most ads, and from other apps as well.

yaaaaayPancakes,

Not what you wish to hear, but for web browsing, use Firefox. The Android version still supports plugin like uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger. Ad blockers are effectively dead in Chrome with the advent of manifest v3.

Firefox accounts work very much like your Google account in chrome, so it was relatively straightforward to migrate. Just install firefox on your desktop, get your Mozilla account set up, and use the desktop tools to migrate from chrome to firefox. Then once it’s good on your desktop, install firefox on your android devices and sign in to your Mozilla account, everything should sync.

Passwords I’d recommend not using any browser solution and instead use something like bitwarden.

Breaking the Google chains are tedious but doable!

LukeMedia,

If you really feel lazy, I’d still go with Firefox password manager over chrome.

Lord_Rhaziel,

Try adguard. Its a system wide blocker(blocks ads in most apps too) and needs no root. Its paid. For free you can use blockada version 5. Get it on fdroid. Or just use adguard dns.

LukeMedia,

Firefox with uBlock origin, setting your DNS to “DNS.adguard.com”, and using ReVanced with MicroG for YouTube has worked best for me on a non-rooted phone.

Brahm1nmam,

Change your dsn to dns.adguard.com

Edit: Firefox on Android has unlocked origin as well nowadays

SnipingNinja,

Or if you can afford it, subscribe to a private DNS provider, they offer more control.

ThirdNerd,

Spent last weekend visiting family out of state, and it was the first time I’ve watched YouTube with ads in years. I pay to get no ads on YouTube at home, and the ads at family’s home was so irritating. Made me realize that I would either pay YouTube for no ads, OR I would just stop watching YouTube. No compromise on that one.

That being said, I don’t mind a few ads on webpages here and there. I run uBlock Origin and NoScript with only site-needed scripts allowed. Occasionally there’s an ad that manages to not get blocked by either of those, and I don’t go out of my way to also make sure those are blocked. It’s because they aren’t obnoxious. Usually just a box on the side of the page. Not a problem.

imAadesh,

I set up a pihole and installed revanced on my mom’s phone. She was surprised when I mentioned that YouTube has ads once haha.

Reygle,
@Reygle@lemmy.world avatar

I stopped over at my parents’ house a few weeks back for a get-together and the TV was on. I nearly felt physically ill at the amount of ads- at one point I saw an overlay ad on top of an actual “commercial” ad. The program that was on was definitely less run time than the adverts that ran in-between short sections of the program.

jettrscga,

I’ve heard that actual football action is about 11 minutes. And yet football broadcasts lasts hours.

Reygle,
@Reygle@lemmy.world avatar

FOOSBALL IS THE DEVIL

and really, REALLY boring

superkret,

Don’t equate Colonialist Hand-Egg with Foosball, you heathen.

Reygle,
@Reygle@lemmy.world avatar

Acceptable sport confused with trash sport, I apologize

I_Has_A_Hat,

Did you know that most people won’t notice a ~2% increase in the play speed of shows, and that by doing so you can squeeze in an extra 30 seconds of ad time into a 30 minute block?

Because TV companies know this. Many of them do exactly that.

QuazarOmega,

Me on my way to speedrun my telenovela
American Psycho walk

Ashelyn,

Some of them push it all the way to 5-10% and it kills the pacing of the dialogue and writing. But hey more ads more money I guess

Reygle,
@Reygle@lemmy.world avatar

I’d heard that somewhere. shiver Normies who watch TV scare me.

Gnubyte,

Idk I just pay for stuff if I like it so no ads. Like including DVDs or streaming services. Or I use FOSS and everything’s good.

caseyweederman,

Streaming services are shoehorning ads in for paying customers. DVDs have unskippable ads when you put them in.
Paying for stuff does not free you from ads.

Fades,

I will go to many lengths to avoid ads. I never use the YT app for example unless I’m on my desktop which has multiple ad blocking extensions and containers. Been using Yattee for iOS that plays nice with nvidious or piped

Get fucked advertisers

BeefDaddySupreme,
@BeefDaddySupreme@lemmy.world avatar

I got onto the YouTube vanced train back in 2018 and every now and then I hop on desktop YouTube and it’s soo jaring.

Marketsupreme,

Ublock origin made it so I never see an ad on YouTube

jpreston2005,

yes, I despise ads. It’s gotten to the point where if I’m forced to endure an ad before a youtube video, I’ll mute it and avert my eyes. It feels like a psychological assault out of nowhere. it’s worse at gas station pumps, where I can’t always mute it

systemglitch,

Oh right? I never watch or listen to them. Given no other option I’ll even cover my ears and hum. Ads breAk the soul, and I literally feel healthier not being subjected to them.

busteray,

Wait your gas station pumps have ads!? Where do you live?

jpreston2005,

United States. there are Ads everywhere. for the wildest shit, too. Ads for medications and prescription drugs are the worst of them, shouldn’t even be allowed… but, ya know… lobbyist money (A.K.A. bribes)

HawlSera,

I often forget they even exist

FireWire400,
@FireWire400@lemmy.world avatar

The worst ones I’ve ever seen by far are ads for mobile games. Some, if not the majority, are full of fetish content, gore and other gross and disturbing stuff just for the shock value; most of the “gameplay” that’s shown has nothing to to with the actual game.

Some ads have real people in them act out what (supposedly) happens in-game, those are almost worth watching for their trash value.

GloveNinja,

Those ads bother me more than most because It’s entirely false advertising. Nothing shown in those ads for the most part reflects the actual gameplay in any way shape or form.

There was somebody who actually released a mobile game that has all of like the fake game mechanics from all the advertisements that you see on those ads and it’s awful but really funny lol

whofearsthenight,

My latest ad-shock was over at a friend’s house. I’ve not had cable since probably '03? They have cable because a parent lives with them and insists/pays. Just having the TV on playing random things felt weird. Weirder still is having the movie interrupted by ads every 5 seconds. And the ads are just gross. The only thing that was decent was using it as a discovery service. The movie, one of the X-Men that was not one of the good ones, was what we stumbled upon. We watched for a bit, then ended up switching to watching it elsewhere to dunk on it. In ad-free, interruption-free, 4k with surround. Paying for the cable experience (which is rapidly the streaming experience) seems entirely anachronistic.

thefloweracidic,

I feel you, I’ve been using an ad blocker for so long I’ve lost count of the years. I’m always obliterated by how vapid and meaningless modern ads are, its all psychological hacking which is a violation of our mental sovereignty.

I also feel like the “happy young people, living their best life with our product” style ads help keep people delusional about the current state of the world and where we are heading. Like that “Everything is fine” meme, but the dog has a vr headset on and sound cancelling headphones that constantly chant “The heat you are feeling is good for the economy. Everything IS fine!”.

I agree, it is 100% dystopian.

bug,

https://lemmy.one/pictrs/image/89471f66-0552-41eb-ba2e-f31309998cd2.jpegThey Live called it in 1988!

chandz05,

I just recently watched that movie for the first time a month or so ago, and it was so jarring how accurate it was with the subliminal messaging

CharlesDarwin,
@CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world avatar

I remember the times I’d go from watching Tivo to trying to watch live TV.

Whisper06,

I’m cool with ads as long as they aren’t filled with malware. Unfortunately they’re all filled with malware.

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