Ad blockers have gained in popularity in recent years — and that’s not surprising. It’s notoriously hard to make money with websites, which is why advertising became the main income source for many. But as the internet grew, so did online advertising. And before long, users got fed up. With pop-ups, banner ads, full-page rollover ads, and videos that starting playing automatically, sometimes it can feel like a website is more ad than content.
The solution? Ad blockers. Ad blockers are software that blocks advertisement online. They can be built in to browsers or operating systems or added as third party extensions. They effectively erase pop-ups, banner ads, auto-playing videos, and other types of advertisement that the user may find distracting or annoying.
Users can also choose to “whitelist” a site, allowing ads. This is necessary for some publications, which now have their own software that detects ad blockers and requests that users either pay a subscription or allow them to run ads. It can also be necessary when a site offers a pop-up as an essential part of accessing information.
Another reason users may choose to whitelist sites is to provide revenue to sites that they care about. Because so much of the money that fuels online content comes from advertising, choosing not to block ads on a certain site can be a good way to support the content and creators you actually care about.
Additionally, some ad blockers also protect against malicious sites, warning users and redirecting them before they wade into infected online waters.
Originally published at tenta.com.
