Calm Code

Ad Overflow

We are bombarded with ads everyday. It's everywhere from our phones to web browsers to ads with our music and podcasts. The worst is the ads on kids games. That's a low blow. There are some apps that don't even offer a purchase because they make more money with ads.

I can't read an article without things flashing on the side. I can't watch a YouTube video without sometimes 2 preload ads and 1 or 2 ads inline as well. This reminds me of how bad TV used to be and sometimes watching a cricket match meant you needed a bigger TV to see the footage through the small window that was left after sides were filled with ads.

I have had enough. I've been blocking everything I can, paying for apps and just cleaning up shop. I want to support content producers but ads are not the way forward.

We need to move into the micropayment age. Content coin anyone? We can't simply keep building subscription walls over all our content. Content should be mostly free to consume or just charge me a few cents to read a full article.

Users are getting subscription fatigue. We don't want recurring subscriptions for things that we use rarely. I've been buying physical books lately. The independent publishers give you downloadable PDFs as well. When I buy something I want to own it and be able to share it with a friend.

I don't really own an eBook in the Kindle eco system. It's just a rental. Let's get smarter about this. I'm willing to pay I just need better options to pay.