Reddit introduces a new ad format that looks similar to posts made by users | TechCrunch

Blaze@dormi.zone to Reddit@lemmy.world – 180 points –
Reddit introduces a new ad format that looks similar to posts made by users | TechCrunch
techcrunch.com
29

You are viewing a single comment

More importantly, I predict that the move will increase the usage of ad blockers within the site.

Sadly a lot of Reddit's traffic comes from mobile, which now only allows the official app that Reddit can fill with however many ad posts they want.

That's a fair point, but: if you drop the distinctiveness between ad and content too low, phoneposters go elsewhere. Because not even phoneposters want that noise. So it's still a bad idea.

Not when. your DNS is a piHole, even when on mobile I use PiVPN to route all my traffic at home and not get ads whatsoever.

Does that stop the promoted posts though? Which are paid reddit posts. I have my phone going through adblocker dns and I still see promoted posts but I don't see any traditional ads between posts.

It, sadly, will not. The promoted posts come from the same domain as the content (meaning block the ads, block the legitimate content).

That doesn't stop ads that reddit is serving from the same URL as the rest of the content.

Correct, which is why it also can’t block YouTube ads.

Still helpful though for devices that you can run an ad blocker on (like a “smart” TV/ streaming stick)

I'm happy for you, but that just isn't the average user experience. The crushing majority of people aren't tech-savvy enough for that. And Reddit, relies on that majority.

For better or worse for everyone involved, it's their experience that makes or breaks the site, and it's them that enshittification takes advantage of.

I have pihole as well and I find it doesn't block the promoted posts / reddit ads on mobile. But revanced fixes that.

1 more...