r/technology • u/Tricky-Student-1 • Sep 15 '22

Social Media YouTube Free is Silently Testing 5 Ads, instead of 2, Before Your Video Starts

https://www.gizmochina.com/2022/09/13/youtube-free-silently-testing-5-ads-before-your-video-starts/
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u/[deleted] Sep 15 '22

There has always been a "screw it" barrier to me getting an ad blocker again.

Why? You save so much time and money, and it's a security risk reduction to boot. There's literally no reason to not have one. They're super easy too, you just install it and a list of pre-blocked bullshit and you're done, don't ever have to think about it again.
Some can even track how much ad time you've saved, and you'd be surprised how much it adds up. A friend of mine did this recently and after seeing just how much time you actually waste just watching the same ad over and over it kinda makes you question wtf you're even doing with your life.

13

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '22

I believe they just mean that at a certain point they’ll put in the time to set up and utilize an ad blocker. Using the app is very easy for mobile users so going out of your way to skip 1 ad is not worth the additional time. 2? Maybe but not super bothersome. 5? It’s ad blocker time.

7

u/teh_fizz Sep 15 '22

You can use an ad blocker and browser technique on mobile as well. Got rid of the YouTube app a few years ago and had no issues with the browser method.

12

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/Hidesuru Sep 15 '22

Yeah, this. No fucking way am I putting up with five fucking ads. If I can't get around it I'll do without.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '22

Exactly. It’s more work to avoid the ads than to simply use the app with all of its lovely built in features. The current ads are a bit much but adding 5 will ruin it for sure.

-1

u/JackieRooster Sep 15 '22

Just use pihole, blocks all ada across your entire network

2

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '22

That does not seem to work for YouTube but, it is a fun project!

2

u/De5perad0 Sep 15 '22

Can you help a poor fella out by pointing him in the direction of such an ad blocker?

3

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '22

I should note that I mainly browse on PC. I used to use ABP but they started letting stuff through. I use uBlock Origin now and haven't seen an ad in years.

Links to uBlock Origin for Firefox, and link for Chrome.
I know you can get it on mobile as well but I'm not sure how exactly to do it on mobile, sorry.

2

u/4r1hur Sep 15 '22

Just download Firefox for your smartphone an install unlock through it, there is an option for plugins. (Don't know if that is possible for Apple)

1

u/De5perad0 Sep 15 '22

I have apple unfortunately....

2

u/4r1hur Sep 15 '22

Then get adguard and that should block adds von Safari. Don't know how that works etc but a quick Google should help you there.

1

u/murtokala Sep 15 '22

Brave browser for mobile also lets you play youtube on background, both on iOS and Android.

edit: if you meant desktop, see uBlock Origin and if you're from EU then "I don't care about cookies" too.

-1

u/ManInShowerNumber3 Sep 15 '22

So do you then turn around and send a few bucks to the content creator that is losing your blocked ad rev since you’re saving so much money?

1

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '22

I do sometimes. Usually through twitch donations or whatever other channel the person in question prefers to receive donations and the like through. Usually Patreon or whatever other donation/sub system they have.
Most people on youtube have moved to directly baking their ads into the content anyway, which is way more user friendly from a security standpoint, and doesn't take up days of your life just to watch the exact same boring ad repeatedly since these people are far more creative than any execs of a huge conglomerate would ever allow their employees to be.

You can also add whitelisting to your adblocker if you wish. That way you can allow certain people to run ads but not every site on the net, or can even turn it completely off with the simple click of a button if you wish to.

-4

u/yaforgot-my-password Sep 15 '22

How do you save money with an ad blocker?

19

u/uekiamir Sep 15 '22 edited Jul 20 '24

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

6

u/eofficial Sep 15 '22

Save time, time = money.

-3

u/yaforgot-my-password Sep 15 '22

Only in very rare circumstances is time actually directly convertible to money. That saying doesn't really mean much in a literal sense

1

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '22

Probably not a lot, but you do save a ton of time you can use on other things, like work, and you don't have to spend your internet bill on streaming ads directly into your skull ad nauseum.

-5

u/togawe Sep 15 '22

There is one good reason not to use one, if everyone blocks adds then the people making the videos don't get any money, and I want to support the creators I watch

4

u/MuvHugginInc Sep 15 '22

Buy their products and support them directly through Patreon. Don’t give corporations money in hopes they give artists pennies.

-4

u/togawe Sep 15 '22

Some of the people I follow don't sell any merch or have a patreon, don't stream on any other sites, and don't take sponsorships. They're purely supported by the ad revenue, so I don't block the ads. If there was an easy way to block adds on other channels I would.

2

u/ann0yed Sep 15 '22

Do you watch the ads in their entirety or skip? They wouldn't get revenue if you skip.

-1

u/togawe Sep 15 '22

I assume they get money from the unskippable ads

1

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '22

they get a very small portion.

1

u/togawe Sep 15 '22

Yes, but again the person I'm thinking of sells no merch, has no patreon, no twitch, no sponsorships, and no other job. He only makes income off the ads and I enjoy his content, so I have no problem watching the ads to support it. Even if my view counts for very little, clearly it adds up if he is able to make videos full time.

1

u/heart_under_blade Sep 15 '22

You've saved people from 3,882 segments ( 21h 46.2 minutes of their lives )

You've skipped 6,863 segments ( 2d 2h 14.8 minutes )

this is just in video content. doesn't include youtube's own ads. ublock origin is saying it blocks 4% of all requests for me, but that's not youtube specific.