I use ad blockers and open source privacy focused software whenever I can but occasionally I have to use computers that don’t belong to me or an older phone where my usual applications aren’t installed and seeing all the advertisements just feels dirty and dystopian.
I think the worst ads are the text to speech ones that say “Download this app today”. The unblinking energenic people saying you can make a living at home are probably a close second.
It is jarring. I am feeling a little bad for actual writers though when I have to turn back from a news site because it doesn’t like my adblocker or pihole. I haven’t relented. But given the whole writers strike thing and the fact that I don’t want AI writing pretty much anything meant to be read by human eyes, I do feel bad.
I don’t.
If they were worth reading, they could publish.