I actually don't have problems with ads. Never did. I think the ad-driven business model was better for the internet since most services/information sites were free. Now most things are locked behind paywalls.
"They are all the same" is not a logical pov when you compare a monstrosity like securus with a behemoth like meta.
Securus sells your data. Meta sells access to your eyeballs.
Edit: I don't like defending advertisings behemoths; Securus and their ilk don't deserve to have a patsy however.
If you look at even very cheap providers like fastmail or protonmail, who provide a decent subset of office products online for a subscription fee ... they're <100 people companies, and not for lack of trying to grow.
Viewing ads is atrocious mental hygiene, in the same way that eating a meal after dipping your hands in feces is poor physical hygiene.
In most “socialist” countries, ads did not intrude in your life.
But actually, it is worse than just ads. Capitalism can harm freedom of speech, and for-profit online platforms shape it in such a way that society gets more and more polarized and depressed.
Record levels of depression and sadness in teenage girls
One fifth of middle aged women on antidepressants
There are solutions, but they involve different economics:
If anyone wants to get involved — feel free to email me.
I did a couple interviews with Noam Chomsky on this subject:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wUPZ8rSESZo
https://community.qbix.com/t/freedom-of-speech-and-capitalis...
And also David Harvey and Thomas Greco:
Do you?
(And if you don't, I bet many who claim as you have, do)
[1] https://support.1blocker.com/en/articles/6436221-firewall-in...
But as a test, try blocking ads in any social app, like Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Reddit, see how well it works.
I predict, however, that Google won't allow this for long, because there were already signs that they are deploying anti-ad-blocking detection.
People don't realize, but the detection of ad-blockers is possible and hard to prevent. Even uBlock Origin, although granted, it's still the most difficult to beat. That companies abstained from doing it, that's only because ad-blocking eyeballs are still good for business, but given that the market share of ad-blockers has grown tremendously, that will change.