No seriously though. Was using managers laptop very briefly, and needed to look up some instructions. No adblock, Google Chrome default browser, etc. The websites were almost unreadable. Giant video ads in top and bottom corners, big thick flashing distracting ads on all sides making the readable area a little bigger than a postage stamp. Genuinely how do people browse the Internet like this?
Comment on Ad blocking is alive and well, despite Chrome's attempts to make it harder
JensSpahnpasta@feddit.org 19 hours ago
Let’s be honest: The internet without adblock is unusable. I really do not know how all those people without adblock are doing that.
Blackfeathr@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
IronBird@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
something something when all you know is the farm
Bytemeister@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
Kinda reminds my of my 2010 Toshiba laptop touchpad. The pad was probably 2 inches wide and 1.6 inches tall, and it had special “quick zones” setup in each corner, and then scroll zones on the bottom and right side, and then “back” and “forward” zones at the top, and a window switch zone on the left. When you subtracted all the “reserved” space on the touchpad, the actual useable area was slightly larger than the top of my thumb… And gestures and tap to click was on be default. I don’t know who tested that and was like “yeah, that’s useable” but seriously, WTF dude.
klymilark@herbicide.fallcounty.omg.lol 5 hours ago
It… Really, really is. I remember using Fandom on mobile being so bad I set up an auto redirect to breezewiki, and that was with adblockers. Now that I have DNS-wide adblocking on, when I accidentally click a Fandom link it’s pleasantly surprising how well that’s working.
thedirtyknapkin@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
well that’s why most people use apps instead. the real internet is so hostile without a guide.
especially now that you can’t use the mainstream browsers and do it. the barrier to entry has gotten so high that i don’t blame kids for being put off by computers and prefering their phones for everything.
it reminds me of trying to learn about cars growing up. i didn’t learn about cars growing up. i tried, but everyone i tried to learn from spent the whole time complaining about all the anticonsumer practices that made cars shitty these days. all the hoops you have to jump through to work on them yourself anymore. how the manufactures went out of their way over the course of years to take what used to be a fun tinkerers hobby for the everyman and made it incredibly difficult and expensive to do yourself.
my take away was “I hate cars”. so when i hear teenagers these days say that they hate computers i get it. they fucking suck now and there’s this 8 foot fence of knowing how to make them suck less before they can even start wanting to learn about them. but it’s going to take them a very very long time to get good enough with the computer that they can accomplish anything on it better than on their phone. so we have trucks full of ladders that can scale that fence, and even if we lose our fences we know how to scale that fence barehanded if we gotta. but the kids just walk around the fence because they don’t value what’s inside. why would they?
so I’m just waiting for the old pc based intent to slowly wither away as we age with it… places like this becoming out last bastions in a world that requires validated apps on phones.
Bytemeister@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
Do people mostly use apps instead? I don’t really get that perception, but also everyone in my family basically hates tiktok, facebook, instagram, twitter and other social media sites on principle. My apps are basically 2FAs, email, chats, and tools, but the vast majority of my time on my phone is in Firefox.
MrKoyun@lemmy.world 11 hours ago
Yes. As someone in High School my peers have no idea whats happening while using a computer and none of them hate that they need to install a bajillion apps for the dumbest stuff. They just do it and keep the apps, even if they legit use it once a year.
Basically none of them know what a folder is, that there are actual files inside their phone/computer. When I’m doing tech support I can’t say “open the files app/file explorer and go to x folder” I need to hold their hand through it all “take your mouse here on this icon, click on this, drag and drop this here…” and silently facepalm when they can’t drag and drop… Or I make them press keyboard shortcuts that does it for them. Many of them refer to any kind of sideloading/piracy as “installing an apk/installing as an apk” even on iPhones and computers.
I really really believe that mine and the following generations are substantially more tech illiterate than previous ones. Like of course they dont all need to be tech savvy but my dad or my 50 year old teachers know how to open folder or drag and drop and I can just say it as is to them and they will do it fine, maybe after a 2-3 second wait. Can’t do that to my peers. They exclusively know how to “use” phones to scroll the social medias, take photos, text and such.
hilljack26301@feddit.org 4 hours ago
lol. I’m 50 and I think my age cohort might be the most computer literate because we learned it the hard way from the ground up. What you’re saying is just sad to me.
klymilark@herbicide.fallcounty.omg.lol 5 hours ago
Yeah. My partner, who notably hates apps (I suggested hermit to turn websites into apps, and they rejected the idea until I reworded it as “Bookmarks”), mostly uses apps. Several people have commented that it’s weird that I use the mobile browser for most social media (Lemmy being the exception).
Yeah it’s apps for everyone now.
thedirtyknapkin@lemmy.world 11 hours ago
yes, the vast majority of web traffic is phones using apps. no point that uses this platform is an average user.
even if your family hates tiktok it’s still massively popular.
PhoenixDog@lemmy.world 19 hours ago
It’s genuinely insufferable. I have plenty of ad block on my pc but little on my phone. When I’m doing stuff on my phone it’s sometimes impossible to navigate certain news sites or watch videos because of all the fucking ads.
JensSpahnpasta@feddit.org 18 hours ago
If you have Android, you can install Firefox and use uBlock Origin there. It’s awesome :)
garretble@lemmy.world 12 hours ago
Engywuck@lemmy.zip 18 hours ago
AdGuard works well,l on Android, as well as Vivaldi or Brave with their in-built adblockers.
gilokee@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
Firefox on android works well too! I use it instead of a lot of apps (including the other place…ugh…)
GalacticGrapefruit@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
Passerby6497@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
Seconding Ad Guard and Firefox with uBlock origin, that’s what I use and I see minimal ads unless ad guard isn’t running
murmelade@lemmy.ml 18 hours ago
What browser/OS? There are many options on mobile, from extensions to system wide DNS blocking.
Doomsider@lemmy.world 11 hours ago
Some sites, particularly ones that serve up questionable things like torrents or roms, are horrible without ad blockers.
mechoman444@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
I think people are using the world wide web less now and much differently. Most people don’t browse websites like going to ESPN.com or newgrounds or something. Problem use apps now and only a select few for that matter.
My wife can’t even find her safari browser in her iPhone which she’s glued to most of the day. For her is 90% email and 10% tiktok.
Dasnap@lemmy.world 18 hours ago
I see people who put zero effort into ad-blocking in a similar light as people who don’t leave shitty partners. At some point they manage to convince themselves that it’s not a problem.
Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 hours ago
Don’t forget that most people don’t know that blocking ads is possible. To most people, their browser is on an appliance, like a washing machine or fridge. They know how to do the basics, but that’s about it.
Simulation6@sopuli.xyz 18 hours ago
Some even LIKE the ads.
devfuuu@lemmy.world [bot] 16 hours ago
I’m pretty sure I’ve clicked im like 3 ads in my life accidentally. But I saw people actively clicking in ads on purpose regularly and that shit shocked me completely. People don’t look at it as malware and phishing links lime I do and think it’s a good thing. Internet was a mistake.
MontyGommo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 hours ago
So I’m not trying to be contrary… but who is using their browser on an appliance?! Certainly not ‘most people’?
I would agree that there is a general ignorance of adblockers but there’s no way most people are using browsers on appliances…
Zer0_F0x@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
I believe he meant “people use their browser like they use an appliance” as in they don’t know any details about it, just open it and use it as is.
Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 hours ago
What? Nobody’s using their browser on an appliance (except for a handful of masochists with Samsung fridges). I said to most people their browser is on an appliance, as in they treat computers, phones, and laptops like appliances, in that they’re mysterious boxes that do a particular job.
Hardly anyone is trying to hack their appliances, and the majority of people just lump their computing devices into the same category - it does what it was designed for and nothing else
Ulrich@feddit.org 15 hours ago
A computer is an appliance. In the strictest sense of the word.
ftbd@feddit.org 18 hours ago
Or who do so little cleaning at home that their appartment becomes almost unusable or outright dangerous to live in
dukemirage@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
Similar light? Go get some fresh air. It’s just a bunch of ads, the worst are avoidable if you don’t visit clickbait sites.
Prox@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
Found the person who needs to leave their partner.
gilokee@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
rekt
ToTheGraveMyLove@sh.itjust.works 15 hours ago
All of them are avoidable if you block them.
Passerby6497@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
Mainstream sites have been known to spread malware due to the lack of vetting process they go through.
But really, it’s just an a bit of malware, you slipped and clicked it yourself, your ads didn’t do anything.