Most of the comments suck. Y’all should stop and think about the history of YouTube before commenting shit.

After YouTube changed its course from a dating service to an online video sharing platform, the original goal was to create a space for people to share their voices without hindrance. Following Google’s acquisition, the slogan for YouTube was “broadcast yourself.” BROADCAST. YOURSELF. It was MEANT to be accessible! Ads were present, yes, but it wasn’t a slog for viewers to watch.

As early as 2017, double ads were introduced. The outrage, understandably, was brutal, but YouTube kept them. It was a major adjustment for users who were content with single ads periodically showing up on videos. Then, in 2022, these ads became far more aggressive and spammy in nature. Double ads, completely unskippable, and they appeared more frequently. Allegedly, these aggressive advertisements were killed later that year. However, many users—including myself—still get double, unskippable ads. I have yet to see triple ads, but I’m sure I will one of these days.

Suffice to say, it is egregious to believe that the barrage of advertisements is acceptable. It’s not. The surplus of ads stems from greed, and goes against the mission the founders believed in. YouTube has zero right to impose predatory, malware-filled ads for the sake of profit. There’s an ethical way to advertise (as seen in ads before 2017), and they’ve missed the mark.

Admittedly, I grew up with YouTube. I started watching in 2009, when I was eight years old. I’m now twenty two, and I’ve seen how the platform has changed. In some ways, for the better. In others? Not even close. I’m grateful to have YouTube, but I’m also able to recognize how malicious the advertising is. Everyone should be able to, instead of blindly defending it till the ends of the earth.

Do better, guys. Recognize the shortcomings. Speak out. The fact that the influx of complaints about ads are annoying people means one thing: there IS an issue with ads, and we SHOULD address it. Or, Google should address it, because good fucking grief.