Tech Debate: To Ban or Not To Ban Ad-Blocking?

Ads make the world go round, but are they simply too annoying where the web is concerned?
There is an increasingly heated debate taking place within the digital community and related industries about whether ad-blocking should be encouraged or banned. Since the ramifications of this debate could fundamentally change the internet as we know and use it today, it’s worth taking a few minutes to weigh up what’s at stake and consider the rival arguments.
BAN AD-BLOCKING
Whether we like it or not, advertising funds most of our entertainment and culture. Sports sponsorship has become ubiquitous, commercial television programs are supported by ad breaks, and newspapers and magazines augment modest cover prices with advertising revenue. So why should the internet be any different? Its reams of original daily content are generated by talented creatives, and these skilled professionals won’t work for free.
Advertising funds everything from online news and sport coverage to smartphone gaming and social media apps, so ad-blocking would irreparably damage the business model for most free websites and apps. That would leave only two alternatives: paid subscriptions or closure. Apart from amateur enthusiasts, few people have the time and motivation to generate meaningful content without payment. Their ideas and talents need to be paid for, and this currently involves online advertising in all its many forms – pop-ups, banner ads, clickbait and more.
When Apple introduced ad-blocking software into iOS 10, other smartphone providers and OS firms had no choice but to follow suit. Apple would quickly dominate the market if their customers were unique in having an ad-free browsing experience, since many of us place short-term gratification ahead of long-term realism. And so began a domino effect of ad-blocking apps and updates, jeopardizing the free internet we all take for granted today.
Do you want a world without Buzzfeed, Facebook, YouTube and the Daily Mash? Would you willingly pay a monthly direct debit to access each individual site? Our options are that simple – put up with the ads, set up numerous subscriptions, or say goodbye to the wealth of original content that’s currently just a few mouse clicks away. Our children probably wouldn’t thank us for the latter, even if they were spared those tacky Trending Today boxes.
SUPPORT AD-BLOCKING
Online advertising has spiralled out of control. Family-oriented websites are festooned with adverts for online dating and Sponsored Content links featuring suggestive imagery and claims that The Photographer Couldn’t Believe His Luck. Much of this content is comparable to the unsolicited emails endlessly captured by our spam filters, yet this tacky rubbish is being projected onto our screens without a thought for anything other than profits.
If the online advertising industry wanted to be effective and respectable, it would be subject to the strict codes of conduct that apply to traditional advertising. ITV would never air an advert that tried to sell you something you inquired about for a friend last week, and you’ll never see a billboard advert that leaps out in front of you and refuses to go away. Online ads use all sorts of dirty tricks – fake X tabs that click through to advertising portals instead of closing the advert, false promises of guaranteed prizes, intrusive cookie-driven promotions, garish flashing banners – this behavior  wouldn’t be permitted anywhere else.
Given our daily exposure to unsavory and intrusive advertising (some websites display three separate pop-overs before visitors can view the content listed on search engines), is it any wonder that Apple pioneered ad-blocking? After all, they’re simply responding to the prevailing attitudes among their customers. If most web traffic leaves a site that doesn’t load inside three seconds, it’s no surprise that people don’t want to sit through a 20-second shampoo advert just to read an online article. Especially if they’re bald.
It’s all very well saying that the internet will wither without these ads, but it managed fine without them in the early Noughties. Advertisers are resourceful people. They’ll develop more sponsored editorial content, static homepage ads that don’t require sunglasses, dedicated YouTube channels with worthwhile content, and much more besides. Clickbait and hover ads aren’t the future – they’re the death rattle of an online advertising market too complacent to try harder than generic pop-ups. And that’s what ad-blocking software will ultimately demand of them. No wonder the advertisers are worried.

What is your stance on Ad Blocking? Let us know on Twitter @VPS