Not just that, but if they're throwing sponsorships and ads all over, it means they have a huge advertising budget. That almost always means their profit margins are unusually high.

Meaning they're a ripoff even if the product isn't a scam.

yeah exactly xD

i feel like advertisement should only be allowed once that you're actually looking for that / a similar product. because otherwise the advertisement is completely irrelevant to you anyways, so why do they show it to you?!?

like if i search for "smartphone charging cable" i can be shown like 50 different brands of smartphone chargers. but if i don't search for it, why would i know about them? i'm not gonna buy a new smartphone charger anytime soon.

Yep.

Absolutely everything that has a huge, pervasive ad campaign is some kind of scam or just shitty product. Not a single good, helpful product was ever advertised so heavily.

I don't think that it's that people don't think that way, companies know that. It's that the company is hoping that when the customer needs a service the name comes up. It's a play at the human subconscious. How many ads do you watch that you are able to remember you heard of the service from an ad vs just passing discussion. I can only think of NordVPN and a few insurance companies, they rely on that. They hope that when an issue comes up that requires it, that their name pops up without the negative mentality behind it.

I agree though, I go off the mindset that if I am looking for a product and the first thing that comes to mind is "I saw this in an ad" that means there was enough advertisement budget that I could consciously link it to the ad and not the product, which means there is a massive red flag for the product there.

Remove "this way" and you have the entirety of human issues right now. Way too many idiots running around and in power.

Not enough people know that thinking this way does not protect you. It just gives you that pleasant hit of smugness.

use mpv https://youtube.com/watch?v=video_id

you need yt-dlp for it and some obscure config file maybe. just search for it.

i think for me it's just that i get angry at the brand if they try to shove it down my throat. like, the arrogance, it feels a lot like violation of consent, if i already made my mind up that i don't like their product, being advertised again feels like something that should make me angry.

Ugh. VPNs. They sell you "privacy" via a product that captures all your data and routes it through their network. Then they say "trust us".

The only VPN I’ve ever seen ads for is Nord VPN.

A problem with uBlock, SponsorBlock, DeArrow, etc., is that it makes viewing sites and videos by greedy assholes bearable, instead of making us boycott the assholes.

I do use uBlock (and SponsorBlock built into a program, along with a site that let's me avoid YouTube's site); but I really should be boycotting some sites and video channels.

Consider that there are instances where it's not practical to remove ads. I could get a new podcasts app with Sponsorblock integrated, but I already have the app I like all set up and I'm fine with skipping them manually. Some may filter through but so what.

Same with YT videos with Sponsorblock where you're early and you're the one doing people the favor. You have to listen at least part of the ad to mark the time block.

Or sometimes Twitch breaks uBO and you don't realize until you're served an ad and you have to wait for the devs to fix it. There's no simple way of getting around it if you enjoy certain streamers.

It's not that we don't try, but not everyone is capable or interested in insulating their entertainment. There are many factors at play.

It’s not just ads. Every video on YouTube is sponsored in the video itself. You can skip the sponsor spots usually but they mention it multiple times.

You’re right though, everyone should block advertising and tracking at the router level.

I remember on Nintendo Switch was some kirby game. I had been moderately excited for the game. So when it came out I tried the demo. I'm glad I did. Now, Kirby games have always been known to be easy. Maybe too easy. But this game took it too far. It gives you 3 AI friends, or real friends can control those characters with multiplayer.

I played the first level, which is the whole demo, and it was fine. So then I tried playing the demo again, to see if I think it would have been better if I played with real people. I set the controller down, and the game played itself. I'm not even touching the controller, and I beat the demo.

I decided not to buy the game, because it plays itself.

Mullvad

Its powdered energy drink powder and a few other related products.

I personally rather like it then again I am addicted ti caffeine

I'm yet to find a razor that doesn't turn me into Charlie Kirk every morning.