12 Years Without Advertisements

Yes! I haven't had TV since 1995 (except for a stint with a TV-watching friend) and I have all that ad-blocking stuff. The only ads I see are in public, where I find them extra offensive, and when I visit my parents and ... it's truly astounding. I can't imagine how people put up with TV shows being constantly interrupted like that. What are they paying for?

My brain is definitely better of for the absence of these rent-free occupants, and ... yeah, I only buy things that I need, usually refurbished. Amazing deals are available on previous-generation top-end hardware!

It's startling to sit next to someone using the web without ad blockers and realize that the lovely white space I'm used to is actually used for monetizing attention.

Similarly, visiting family who watch live TV and seeing so. many. commercials.

I watched TV a lot as a kid, until I got a job when I was 16. My shifts were often during evenings and nights, so I couldn't watch TV anymore. Surprisingly, I didn't miss it. When I went to college, my roommates didn't watch TV either, and when I graduated and moved out, I never bothered getting one.

Since then, I've made "I don't watch TV" into a general excuse for not doing or knowing things, even if they aren't TV related.

The bookcase analogy sucks and is only comparable to watching broadcast TV without a DVR. This market segment has undoubtedly become more diminished each year, with the proliferation of DVR, then streaming services and smartTVs. I would wager that the majority of consumers have at least a DVR and/or a paid streaming service.