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SponsorBlock – Skip over sponsorship segments on YouTube

(sponsor.ajay.app)
192 points bgstry | 3 comments | 21 Apr 21 07:04 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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daveoc64 ◴[22 Apr 21 00:23 UTC] No.26897141[source]▶
I really don't like how most sponsored segments are just downright misleading about what VPNs do. Making them funny doesn't change the fact that the ads are deceptive.

There's always some fearmongering about people stealing your data on public networks, but no actual substance about feasible attacks that could happen in reality.

In the UK, similar ads have been banned by the advertising regulator for being misleading, and it's about time that spurious claims in YouTube videos got more scrutiny.

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katbyte ◴[22 Apr 21 00:57 UTC] No.26897378[source]▶
I feel like if someone is hawking wares on their channel they should at least use it/have faith in it/do their research. Tom Scott has a great video about VPN sponsorship and how he turned down a sponsorship from a VPN company because of the copy they wanted him to say and debunks the ads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVDQEoe6ZWY

Mad respect for him, and if he ever suggest a paid product in the future i'd trust him. Conversely i really dislike when they clearly don't use the product, or are shilling a product that i KNOW is bad - looking at you raycons. I can't help but lose respect and definitely distrust every sponsorship they have.

tl;dr integrity matters, raycons are really not that great, and i'm tired of hearing the same copy over and over: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb58b7ob2yQ

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sneak ◴[22 Apr 21 01:39 UTC] No.26897709[source]▶
VPN ads that are truthful and delivered with integrity are still disrespectful and disgusting, because advertising is a cancer.
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1. KMnO4 ◴[22 Apr 21 02:15 UTC] No.26897983[source]▶
Advertising isn’t black/white. I want to see ads telling me there’s a local farm selling produce a few minutes from my house. Or that the new Marvel movie is coming out in a couple months.

These things bring value to my life. How else would I know about them?

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2. hippira ◴[22 Apr 21 13:05 UTC] No.26902290[source]▶
Yeah, even Cancer isn’t black / white. That concentrated mass showing up on your CT scan might have a chance to be co-living peacefully for the rest of your life. And removing them is actually causing your body more harms.
3. bscphil ◴[22 Apr 21 23:39 UTC] No.26909450[source]▶
I think that's pushing the boundary on what can be considered advertising these days. It's a question of choice. Advertisements are foisted upon (mostly) unwilling viewers to convince them to buy things they don't want or need, or at least to cause them to make a choice based on brand identity rather than a rational evaluation of the value provided. This is bad.

What you're talking abut is something else entirely. If I'm watching something on Hulu, and the show stops to show me an ad for a Marvel movie coming out in a couple months, that's intrusive. If I deliberately go to YouTube to watch the trailer, that's a free choice. They're such completely different experiences from the user's point of view that it's a misnomer to refer to both as "advertising".

Likewise, my parents have solicited mailers from local groceries because they want to know what vegetables are in this week. There are all sorts of websites and other mechanisms for letting people know about events and opportunities going on in their area. Me sitting down to watch some sports or something and getting bombarded by ads (by Arby's, not a "local farm") is not the same situation.

If you want a bright line, imagine a world with no profit motive. Would we still have movie trailers and fliers to let you know about local farm produce? I think so. Would there still be television advertisements and lies about VPN services on YouTube videos? Obviously not.