# Ad Blocking

## Before

Before installing the ad blocker, I got a couple of different types of ads on each site. On CoolMathGames, I got ads off to the side and had to watch a video ad before playing the game. As I played the game, I noticed that when the ads refreshed, the game would glitch and be really slow, which was an interesting effect of ads that I had never noticed before. On Buzzfeed, there was a large banner at the top, as well as ads along the side of the page.

coolmathgames.com

buzzfeed.com

## After

After installing the ad blocker, the ads disappeared, and the space that they had taken up on the page was empty. I liked how clean the sites looked without having so much space taken up by ads, but I don't know if it really improved my experience on the sight any further than being more aesthetically pleasing. Surprisingly, with the ad blocker I couldn't even get to the game since the extension was blocking the ad that you have to watch prior to playing. I don't know if there was a way around this that I missed, but I tried a few times to get past it and it just wouldn't let me into the game. It was also interesting that this specific ad blocker provides data on how many ads are being blocked by it at any given time.

coolmathgames.com

buzzfeed.com

### Knowing what we know about online advertising, should users be able to easily block ads? If so, who then pays for the free content and services we consume?

Humans instinctively want to feel like they have free will. The choice of anything is so important that having ads and algorithms telling you what you would or would not like feels *wrong*, how could this computer know so surely what you're thinking? However, when it's beneficial to us --- on social media platforms, streaming services, or dating sites --- we enjoy having our technology so uniquely tailored to us and our preferences. So, what changes when it's an advertisement?

In an advertisement, the viewer knows that there is an expectation on them to look into the product and potentially buy it. We don't like being told what to do, especially with our hard-earned money, and that is where the difference lies in how we take in this targeted information. While some people also take issue with the algorithms of social media, there is no pressure to create blockers to prevent that data from being used. I think this is because people feel that there is a sense of safety in having an ad blocker, but don't consider that there are numerous amounts of data being collected on them that aren't just being used for or collected by ads.

Additionally, the readings discussed the idea of "banner blindness", where we become so accustomed to seeing ads that we just shut them out and ignore them. If that is the case, what is the purpose of ad blockers at all? I personally have been in this camp, to the point where I didn't even know which sites to use as an example for this assignment since I don't pay attention to the ads I receive or where I receive them.

Between these two topics, I believe that using a blocker can be a beneficial practice to some, but isn't necessary for all. In this case, they are a resource that should stay available but are not a necessity for the average internet user.