Yes, it's part of an effort to reduce distractions in my life. I don't watch or read news either, well, except tech related things like HN and Slashdot. I feel happier that way, too. (Try it for a week and you'll know what I mean.)
I still consume though, buy goods and services, of course. And I'm not cheap about anything. But I try to do so on a cost-benefit-evaluation basis. When the impulse to buy comes (say, the new iPad that I see everywhere), I discipline myself to delay the purchase. After a while I often realize that I don't need or want it. Instead I might buy some activity like a small trip somewhere, or getting a massage or going to a health club.
Anyway, the best advertising imo is a good product my friends or people I respect will talk about and/or show me.
And in a way I hope most people don't ad-block, so that these models stay profitable. Otherwise advertisers will get even more aggressive and Captain Kirk will use a Windows Phone, smoke cigarettes and drink Coca Cola in his new BMW in the next Star Trek sequel all the time. That would be disappointing.
Finally, if anyone invents glasses that also filter out display ads on the streets, I'd buy a pair. Then I'd walk around undistracted, perhaps thinking something worthwhile. For example what the economy, and the world as a whole, would be like, if everyone had those glasses.
I also block them, because I find almost all to be far too visually distracting, and removing them leaves more space for content, allowing me to bump up the font size for readability. I don't think I've ever been tempted to buy something from a web-ad (or sponsored link) to the best of my knowledge.
I do occasionally feel guilty about using it on sites which I enjoy, and know are ad-supported, but not strongly enough to endure it directly.
I'm waiting for someone to actually build a successful cross-site subscription system (ideally along the lines of dynamic pricing, based on your usage of a site, and what the statistical value of the ads you don't see, would have been)
Having to individually manage subscriptions for each of a dozen different interesting sites (and they're just the ones that even offer a subscription at all) is too much extra work.
I still consume though, buy goods and services, of course. And I'm not cheap about anything. But I try to do so on a cost-benefit-evaluation basis. When the impulse to buy comes (say, the new iPad that I see everywhere), I discipline myself to delay the purchase. After a while I often realize that I don't need or want it. Instead I might buy some activity like a small trip somewhere, or getting a massage or going to a health club.
Anyway, the best advertising imo is a good product my friends or people I respect will talk about and/or show me.
And in a way I hope most people don't ad-block, so that these models stay profitable. Otherwise advertisers will get even more aggressive and Captain Kirk will use a Windows Phone, smoke cigarettes and drink Coca Cola in his new BMW in the next Star Trek sequel all the time. That would be disappointing.
Finally, if anyone invents glasses that also filter out display ads on the streets, I'd buy a pair. Then I'd walk around undistracted, perhaps thinking something worthwhile. For example what the economy, and the world as a whole, would be like, if everyone had those glasses.