> There are enough trash ads out there, there's so much malware and malfeasance in the ecosystem, that it's worthwhile for users to at best _ignore_ and at worst (for advertisers) _to block ads totally_.
Having spent as much time on the Internet as I have, I miss those optimistic early years when this wasn't yet the case, or at least, it wasn't as bad is it is now. Oh, there were junk BS ads in the early public Internet (e.g. "Shock the monkey and win a free Peter Gabriel CD!"). But, back in the late 90s and early 00s, at least some of the ads led to something interesting, entertaining, or useful, and thus were worth the click. Either that, or I was a lot more naive and trusting than I am now. Perhaps both.
Having spent as much time on the Internet as I have, I miss those optimistic early years when this wasn't yet the case, or at least, it wasn't as bad is it is now. Oh, there were junk BS ads in the early public Internet (e.g. "Shock the monkey and win a free Peter Gabriel CD!"). But, back in the late 90s and early 00s, at least some of the ads led to something interesting, entertaining, or useful, and thus were worth the click. Either that, or I was a lot more naive and trusting than I am now. Perhaps both.