Louis Rossman/FUTO's YouTube app, GrayJay, now supports Sponsorblock... and shames you if you use it
Seriously this was very surprising. I've been experimenting with GrayJay since it was announced and I largely think it's a pretty sweet app. I know there are concerns over how it isn't "true open source" but it's a hell of a lot more open than ReVanced. Plus, I like the general design and philosophy of the app.
I updated the YouTube backend recently and to my surprise and delight they had added support for SponsorBlock. However, when I went to enable it, it warned me "turning this on harms creators" and made me click a box before I could continue.
Bruh, you're literally an ad-blocking YouTube frontend. What kind of mental gymnastics does it take to be facilitating ad-blocking and then at the same time shame the end-user for using an extension which simply automates seeking ahead in videos. Are you seriously gonna tell me that even without Sponsorblock, if I skip ahead past the sponsored ad read in a video, that I'm "harming the creator"?
I block all advertising myself, but sponsors I think are ok. The creator can control who they sponsor with, they can write a funny ad skit that is entertaining (the best ones I have seen are the ones by squishy boi) and the creator gets paid directly without fucking us with an algorithm.
I'm happy to watch those kinds of ads as I know the creator is getting paid from them, and e.g. YouTube isn't taking a cut.
But scammy sponsors are very common. Most of the promoted products are just trash because the company behind them puts way too much money in advertisement.
How dare you besmirch Shadow Raid Legends VPN like that!
Raid specifically pays BUCKETS
Can't fault any content creator for needing to eat
I can only assume they're some sort of front for a cartel because I've never met anyone that actually plays it.
Yeah, personally I enjoy seeing adverts for things I think are dumb because it's like a shitty game company is paying my favourite creators to amuse me and they're doing it by collecting money from rubes that'd only be wasting their cash on something worse anyway.
It feels like the sort of thing a chaotic hero would do in a cyberpunk romance.
Yes but you watching the ad doesn't make money for the creator.
Ot does if its a good ad / sales pitch and I actually buy the product which is not gonna happen if it is automatically skipped.
This is such a bizarre concept to me.
Why would I want someone to convince me to buy something with a "good pitch" ?
Hey I respect the hell outta this guy for manufacturing desires in me, lemme now buy this shit I didn't want before he manipulated me. Good job guy!
/s
Someone I watch was sponsored by a PCB fabrication company and the way he described their service I realized I could save a lot of time and money doing it that way.
I don't think advertising always has to be manipulation, it could just be making you aware of the advantages of a product. Though most adverts are nothing but lies and bullshit.
It's part of the reason why many say the ad-funded internet is on it's way out, the idea of ad-revenue is based on the idea that people are going to buy YOUR product when there are 1000 other products making the same exact claim, and 1000 other of the same ads they ignore. Advertisers and Ad-funded companies have a lot of cope when it comes to this fact and make claims like "oh it'll get in eventually" but the fact of the matter is this isn't stable, it's based on the promise of making money, this bubble will burst eventually, it's not a matter of if but when.
Because I didn't know of it before?
If you didn't know of it, then you didn't need or want it.
That's just false. For example I didn't know Nebula existed before all those sponsored segments on the creators videos but I like the service now and am happy I got it...
I guess there are exceptions, it's unknowable but one wonders how long it would've taken you to discover nebula some other way.
Set it to manual skip if you think you might be interested, that way if you are you keep watching, if not hit the skip button.
Just make sure when you click that affiliate link that nothing is stripping the tracking code or they'll get nothing from you whatsoever.