“The online advertising industry’s latest offerings can be annoying, hard to get rid of, and nearly impossible to avoid,” wrote PC World Journalist Tom Spring (pcworld.com). As many have noticed, those subtle, motionless advertisements of the past have suddenly evolved into enormous hindrances that flash, blink, shift, zoom, and bounce across a web page. They seem to spring into action, with no invitation or warning, and play annoying sounds or videos. Advertisements that impede the user from viewing online content should be eliminated.
The Internet has made sharing ideas, learning, and communicating with others around the world much faster and easier. This global database that connects us all, that has revolutionized life, should be convenient and easy for everyone to use. Imagine how annoying it would be if everyone had to watch a 15-second ad before they checked their email or used an online dictionary. “Those ads bug me so much,” said Senior Michael Aherm. “Sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Spotify have so many annoying ads these days.” Online advertisements, particularly those that relentlessly block the user from viewing any content, can be very difficult to shut down and overlook. For those with slow or old computers, they can also take a frustrating amount of time to load (btobonline.com).
Admittedly, these ads help keep web pages free to access. According to Gartner, a technology research firm, mobile advertising revenue pulled in over $3.3 billion worldwide in 2011, which is double the $1.6 billion generated in 2010. By 2015, advertisement sales are projected to increase to over $20.6 billion worldwide. As smartphone and media tablet sales increase, more brands and advertisers are tapping into the mobile advertising industry (gartner.com). Even so, while normal online ads are a great way to promote businesses and sell products, those that cross the line and begin to irritate consumers do not leave people wanting to buy their products.
Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales makes a good point on the Wikimedia Foundation website, “Commerce is fine. Advertising is not evil. But it doesn’t belong here. Not in Wikipedia. Wikipedia is something special. It is like a library or a public park. It is like a temple for the mind. It is a place we can all go to think, to learn, to share our knowledge with others” (wikimediafoundation.org). Sites designed for educational purposes such as Wikipedia, Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com, the Merriam-Webster website, and those that are considered to be the libraries and public parks of the Internet, should not be littered with distracting ads. People visit these sites to learn and think, not to be bombarded by flashy slogans and showy graphics.
New, and more obnoxious forms of advertisements keep evading ad blockers and multiplying every day. If they are allowed to persist, the Internet will cease to be a great learning and sharing tool. Instead, it will morph into a frustrating trap of ads that will annoy users, not intrigue them.