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Comment by motbus3 | Hacker News Reader

I don't know what to think about it.

I understand ads may be one source of income for companies, but I feel our lives are so littered with ads everywhere.

Streaming TV services, like five.tv, somewhat recently started showing ads when one pauses. But often I pause because I'm trying to see something on screen, like 'what did she give him?', 'what did that sign say', you know. Now there's an advert instead of the show.

Also, I think it was Channel 4 (UK), I was vibing to the credits and it just closed them without seemingly offering way to go back.

The high-seas seem more attractive every day.

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it"

  - Upton Sinclair

I have given two presentations to separate investment banks, on behalf of their wealthy clients knowing me, on some recent alternative investments (which I've been involved for 11 years).

Walking away from each of these experiences, my recollection always has been that one side of the table was massively gas-lighting the other... and I can't always remember which side of the table I sat.

My most-recent strategy has been to just STFU.

> our lives are so littered with ads everywhere

Because it's the only thing that works. As the old saying goes "zero is a special price on it's own fundamentally different from $1 and you can't compete with it"

Even services that aren’t free are now bundling ads as an extra revenue stream. There doesn’t seem to be a way to opt out of advertising.

My cable box already disables the fast forward button for about 10s after muting, so that you have another hurdle when skipping ads. You need to skip first then mute, but still get that full volume ad jolt. I already pay for cable, there are ads in the broadcast, and ads when playing recorded programs.

Ironically, most ads inserted by the cable company are for their own competitors, Netflix and Prime Video.

Just like newspapers and magazines.

The only way to opt out of advertising is not to watch.

The difference with newspapers and magazines is that publishers cannot add more advertising to something that has already been published. But with electronic hardware that’s exactly what’s happening. A smart TV you purchased yesterday might suddenly start showing additional advertisements tomorrow. Or next month. Etc.

The fact that we’ve lost the ability to own the stuff we buy is pretty infuriating for people like myself who grew up owning stuff.

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