I’m not bothering to dig it back up, but I thought I remember something like it was based on a policy when a verified user changes their logo. The verification was put back once reverified. Stupid, yes, but if policy it makes more sense.

I’m not big on defending Xitter, but IF this is uniformly handled, this is the least of our reasons to get torches and pitchforks after them.

If that’s the case foxnews would like cut out most of the challenge. I’m not old enough to have adult children yet but I still have a hard time grasping news channels are entertainment venues.

News used to be actual news done by reporters. It had credibility and a degree of respect. This shift has been near impossible for my parents generation

Not sure if it would meet your requirements, but if specific enough to your phones current control capabilities; would a shortcut or automation app meet your needs. I seem to remember them being able to prompt for input. It might be a more COTS approach for you depending on your needs.

I wonder if this is part of the reason Chevy dropped Android Auto and Carplay. Can’t lose out on data collection.

I didn’t click the link, it felt scammy. Did I pass?

O

This seems to be going as planned. But why?

Just like cable tv!

I feel this way about many sites and services. There are a few that are on the fringe of worthwhile and not willing to pay for. If it did work on paid models only, I wonder what would happen to growing services that don’t have the user base to exist on paid subscriptions alone but may be or are better alternatives to the current paid dominant providers. I.e. would this create a higher barrier of entry in a market than exists today, reducing competition and strengthening market monopolies?

I think you’re right, I feel like I’m looking for a little good-will among our kind (bleak and probably misguided at best). Sellers and consumers need to coexist in some manner, but what that relationship should be is yet to be defined. For now, we’re in a place that needs change for sure.

Can y’all point me in the right direction on why grammarly is shady? Maybe that premium account was a bad idea, but I’ve loved it for the last few years to help me be a better writer.

Even if there was a balance and the ads were non-intrusive? I mean, servers and bandwidth cost money. I’m in the same boat as you where I have run ad blockers, adblocker blockers, no script, privacy enhancers, and anti-fingerprinting since forever ago.

I’d rather view a few reasonable ads than have a site try to mine and sell my data. If there was a balance, this is where I’d say it was reasonable. Since not reality, I’m with you, nuke them all, and just take the content.

It seems like we’ve all lost the plot. We’d probably be willing to view ads if the experience wasn’t literally jarring. Try browsing for a day on a plain-no-extension browser. If you use other web enhancement tools kill those too. Straight-up internet is cancer, especially on mobile.

It’s impossible to read a 250-word article without being interrupted 5-7 times. Two of those interruptions are likely a full page overlay with give me your email, and are you sure you don’t want to subscribe, just give me your credit card number.

Then there are auto-play videos on the side, some with audio on by default. I mean I came here to read something, so of course we have things flashing and moving and making noise, it’s the most conducive environment for thought, right?

Ad blockers and script blocking are essentially a hazmat suit that allows us to withstand a hostile environment. Remember when we said myspace pages with audio and [marching-ants] borders was a bad UX? At least we didn’t have overlays back then.

Go back to basics and consider what makes a good vs bad internet experience. The reality sounds like someone with a minor case of severe brain damage. I think we’ve just become unashamed of greed as a society. It’s clearly all just about money.

Those annoying customers/users generate content and we have to put up with them so we can monetize it. *Sadly, It’s unclear if I’m talking about youtube, reddit, or nearly any other site.

Le sigh.