Should consumers have the ability to
block all ads on their mobile device? Yes, I believe that as a consumer you
should be allowed to choose whether or not to block ads on your mobile device. Some
people do not think that ad blocking apps should be allowed. I do understand that
there is both positives and negatives to either side of the argument.
The reality is that consumers have
had the ability to block aps on their computers for a long time this has become
a hot topic because aps are being used to block ads on mobile devices
specifically IPhones. This is a very concerning to marketing firms who
advertise using mobile based websites. With these aps in place that would
eliminate or severely damage the market for advertising on mobile websites which
would hurt several marketing firms financially. With these aps in place the
largest aspect that could hurt consumers is that they could lose some diversity
in modern day technology. What I mean by that is that you firms would no longer
be able to advertise their new technology on places that you usually see these
items.
The benefits out way the cost. When
these ad blocking aps are downloaded and setup they enhance the phones use. The
biggest benefit is that when browsing the web less data is used because your
phone does not download all of the advertisements. Going along with that the
phone has faster download speeds because it has less to download for each page.
The results were as followed “web
page data sizes decreased significantly and load times accelerated enormously
with ad blockers turned on.” (New York Times, Gregor Aisch) Another large
benefit is the battery life of the phone. With ad blocking aps turned on it
your phone uses less data and therefore less battery to power that data enhancing
its life. Certain consumers may not want ads on all sites blocked in some cases
these aps allow you to chose which sites that you want clean of ads. The most
important part of business is the customer itself. Therefore the customer
should be allowed to choose whether or not to block ads on their mobile device.
I for one plan on downloading one of these aps very soon.
Chen, Brian X. "Putting Mobile Ad Blockers to the
Test." The New York Times. The New York Times, 30 Sept. 2015. Web.
05 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/technology/personaltech/ad-blockers-mobile-iphone-browsers.html?src=mv&_r=0>.
From a consumer standpoint, I definitely believe you should have the ability to block all sorts of advertisements on their mobile device. When I am using an application of some sort on my device, the last thing I want to see is an ad. If I am trying to look up something or play a game of some sort, I don't need to be paused due to an add showing up. I think you make a great point about when you download these ad-blocking apps, less data will be used since these ads aren't popping up. I get in trouble by my parents every month because I go over on my data, so I will be sure to download this.
ReplyDeleteFrom a business standpoint however, I would love these ads to appear on people's phones, due to the fact that I want my product to be known. But as of right now, I am simply a consumer.
Ad-blocking has a lot of benefits from a consumer’s standpoint. Blocking ads makes for quicker browsing, blocks out annoying ads that have nothing to do with you, adds better battery life for devices, protects privacy, and the list goes on. Other than these obvious benefits, ads do more harm than good. It is affecting the internet’s business model. Looking at things from a business standpoint, blocking ads hurt companies in many ways.
ReplyDeleteOne way ad blocking affects a companies’ website is the fact that it messes up with analytics (HubSpot Blogs). For example, marketers use cookies to figure out what the user does while he/she is growing that website. Companies uses this to record the user’s browsing activity and give them suggestions through email and through ads based on what that clicked, browsed, and bought. With ad blockers in place, marketers will have trouble collecting this data that give us insight into users’ behaviors which can affect their business strategy. Companies will not be able to tell what customers like as well as what customers don’t like so they won’t be able to change their strategy. To phrase it in different words, “imagine running a restaurant where 40% of the people who came and ate didn’t pay. In a way, that’s what ad blocking is doing to us” (The Guardian).
Another disadvantage of ad blocking to business models is that some of our favorite companies make money off of ads. For example, if I type in Google, “peony flowers,” the first option at the top of the web page are advertisements sponsored by various flowers companies. Every time a user clicks on these ads, Google makes a small amount of money and the flower company gains a new user that can browse their website for flowers at a cheap price. With millions of users surfing the web each day, this goes a long in way in keep a website sustainable and noticeable. Some companies make their money off advertising. Publishers must make money. In other words, it will be hard for companies to make a profit if ad blocking exists.
Lastly, a disadvantage of ad blocking is that it will increase user costs “as users as websites are forced to charge for content previously supported by ad revenue” (Harvard Business Review). Big companies such as the New York Times, Google, Financial Times, won’t be affected as much, but small companies will be affected enormously (The Guardian). These small companies may implement a “paywall route,” in which users will have to pay to use and browse the content on that website.
From a consumer standpoint, blocking ads are an easy to fix that annoying pesky ad bothering us from viewing our webpage. However, we need to think of it from a different angle, and realize that blocking ads go a long way to running companies out of business.
Works Cited
Bhat, Faizan. "Ad Blocking's Unintended Consequences." Harvard Business Review. N.p., 12 Aug. 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Hern, Alex. "Adblock Plus: The Tiny Plugin Threatening the Internet's Business Model." TheGuardian. N.p., 14 Oct. 2013. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Kolowich, Lindsay. "How Ad Blocking Works: Everything You Need to Know." How Ad Blocking Works: Everything You Need to Know. N.p., 1 Oct. 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Naughton, John. "The Rise of Ad-blocking Could Herald the End of the Free Internet." TheGuardian. N.p., 27 Sept. 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.