Rant 67 - 07/3/12 Subject: Intrusive internet advertising

Rant number 67


I have already covered pop-ups previously. They are annoying and stupid. There is however, a cure for these (albeit not full-proof) in the form of a pop-up blocker.

This seems like a good thing doesn't it?

It isn't though.

Because it has escalated the arms race of advertiser and advertisee (you, the end user.)

Pop-ups are old news, so now they have found other ways to ruin your enjoyment.

Been on youtube recently?
Yeah, me too.
Now you can't watch that video of the cat beating a printer (if you haven't, go watch it now - annoying adverts be damned) without them trying to sell you McDonalds, a digital camera or a myriad variety of crap you don't want.

I just don't get it. Why bother? People must pay a fortune for the privilege of camping their shit on the back of a youtube video. What do they really hope to gain?

I am trying to watch a cat having an argument with a printer, I don't want McDonalds, I don't want a digital camera. I just want to see the funny cat beating the printer and swearing.

Then there is the other kind of adds they now splash around. Thanks to the evil manipulations of otherwise benign technologies such as flash, silverlight & java - there are now adds fucking everywhere.

Now, I can put up with static adds that sit there, unloved and uncalled for. These I can ignore (and I do.)

The thing is, the new generation don't. They have video that takes up valuable memory & processing power - slowing down your computer and ruining your enjoyment of the focus of the webpage. They pop up within the window (yeah, your pop-up blocker can't do anything about that) trying to sell you whatever shite they are doing so.

I don't want their rubbish - I just want to be left alone! Just because an advert is on a page, it doesn't mean I feel inclined to click on it. Making it more annoying - really really doesn't make me want to click it. It - in fact, puts me right off.

In fact- I just wish they would fuck off!

I hope that someone comes up with a way to get rid of this rubbish and that all of the idiots who make these adds get painful and moderately explosive diarrhea...

Rant over.