YouTube tests blocking videos unless you disable ad blockers

"Youtube considering incentivizing piracy"

If they really block adblockers, I will subscribe. To Nebula. It's got everything I want, adfree (including sponsored segments), extra content and is cheaper. And the content creators get a bigger share of the money.

It seems like we've all lost the plot. We'd probably be willing to view ads if the experience wasn't literally jarring. Try browsing for a day on a plain-no-extension browser. If you use other web enhancement tools kill those too. Straight-up internet is cancer, especially on mobile.

It's impossible to read a 250-word article without being interrupted 5-7 times. Two of those interruptions are likely a full page overlay with give me your email, and are you sure you don't want to subscribe, just give me your credit card number.

Then there are auto-play videos on the side, some with audio on by default. I mean I came here to read something, so of course we have things flashing and moving and making noise, it's the most conducive environment for thought, right?

Ad blockers and script blocking are essentially a hazmat suit that allows us to withstand a hostile environment. Remember when we said myspace pages with audio and [marching-ants] borders was a bad UX? At least we didn't have overlays back then.

Go back to basics and consider what makes a good vs bad internet experience. The reality sounds like someone with a minor case of severe brain damage. I think we've just become unashamed of greed as a society. It's clearly all just about money.

Those annoying customers/users generate content and we have to put up with them so we can monetize it. *Sadly, It's unclear if I'm talking about youtube, reddit, or nearly any other site.

Le sigh.

There are always way out. It's not solving the issue 100% cases for Google, but to make it hard enough for most people to not consider using ad blockers. Or most probably wouldn't even know what to do if there is no addon for the browser. For Google it's enough if 80% of people just don't use ad blockers anymore. Hell even a 50% case would be a win situation.

You and me, we will probably find a way out of this and use an ad blocker or maybe even a dedicated YouTube browser / application, if it's necessary.

That's funny, I'm testing YouTube alternatives.

Wow the enshittification is at full throttle across silicon valley! Guess those investors gotta get those returns now that interest rates are spiking!

Alternate headline: Users test using only YouTube ReVanced to bypass this new system

Seems fair enough, I've personally been freeloading for a while. Youtube is irreplacable, so there's not much we can do.

Now we need a new video platform.

So.. using a ad blocker that we compile ourselves?

YouTube feels unusable without an ad-blocker. I've gotten like 30min crazy conspiracy videos as an ad that shit is bonkers.