Ads can’t be permitted to pay for things, though. One has a moral obligation to make sure that that strategy does not work, because it degrades both whatever the advertisements are inserted around (which becomes optimized to get attention at the expense of anything actually useful, like entertaining or conveying information) and the people who perceive it (because it creates capital inside their minds, in the form of brands, artificially alters their culture, and deliberately creates fear, mistrust of loved ones, and feelings of inadequacy).
While I agree that ads are often necessary, I disagree with the predatory way they are presented. Google, and by extension YouTube, are the most egregious examples.
But there is no moral obligation to either engage with ads or avoid them. That notion is nonsensical
Ads can’t be permitted to pay for things, though. One has a moral obligation to make sure that that strategy does not work, because it degrades both whatever the advertisements are inserted around (which becomes optimized to get attention at the expense of anything actually useful, like entertaining or conveying information) and the people who perceive it (because it creates capital inside their minds, in the form of brands, artificially alters their culture, and deliberately creates fear, mistrust of loved ones, and feelings of inadequacy).
While I agree that ads are often necessary, I disagree with the predatory way they are presented. Google, and by extension YouTube, are the most egregious examples.
But there is no moral obligation to either engage with ads or avoid them. That notion is nonsensical