Sam - September 26, 2016
Ad Blocker use soaring amongst millennials
A recent survey has discovered that two out of three millennials use ad blocker software when browsing the internet on their desktop or mobile devices.
Ad Blocker software brings benefits such as blocking intrusive adverts on web pages, stopping videos cutting to adverts and reducing popups
Ad blockers are available as an add-on on most browsers and are often a completely free piece of software.
The Millennials At The Gate report asked 2,700 US based young people aged 18 to 24 about their web habits.
The results contrast sharply with the rest of the population, where only 15% of people in the US use ad blocker software. The report, therefore, suggested that ad blocking has become an ‘established social norm’ among young millennials.
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When asked why they used ad blockers, the main reason given was to improve their user experience when online.
43% of those surveyed said they used an ad blocker to avoid intrusive ads and 21% said they wanted to speed up their browsing. On the other hand, only 17% said they used ad blockers to protect their online privacy.
Specifically, the survey found that millennials really hated video advertisements, such as those played before and during YouTube videos.
Of course, while it seems like using an ad blocker is a harmless pursuit, it does pose a challenge to many blogs and websites who rely on adverts to keep themselves afloat.
This was highlighted recently when UK phone network Three was banned from providing a network-wide ad blocking service. This service would have automatically blocked adverts from appearing on sites accessed by users of Three’s network.
With the continued refusal of many web users to pay for online material, websites often rely on adverts to keep themselves going.
The results of this survey and the seeming acceptance of ad blocking software will certainly be worrying for these websites.
