“Your frustration is the product” (daringfireball.net)

Article summary

The article discusses how many websites, including those of major news publications, have become overly cluttered with ads and trackers, leading to a poor user experience. This is often due to the prioritization of metrics such as viewability and time-on-page, which can result in hostile UX decisions. The article argues that this approach is adversarial by design and drives users away. The author suggests that even paid subscribers often do not get a better experience, with many websites still displaying ads and trackers.

Main themes

• ad-heavy websites
• poor user experience
• metrics-driven design
• adversarial UX
• news publication business models
• online advertising

What commenters say

• Paying for news subscriptions does not necessarily result in an ad-free experience, as some websites continue to display ads even to paid subscribers.
• The current state of online advertising is driving users away from news websites, rather than attracting them.
• The prioritization of metrics such as viewability and time-on-page is the root cause of the poor user experience on many news websites.
• Some commenters argue that the news industry's financial struggles are due to a decline in classified ad revenue, rather than a failure to adapt to digital media.
• Others suggest that the industry's focus on advertising revenue has led to a vicious cycle of clickbait headlines and low-quality content.
• A few commenters propose that paying for news content is part of the solution, but it does not fully explain why the experience has become so aggressively bad.
• Some argue that the use of ad blockers and other technologies can improve the user experience, but may not be a viable long-term solution for the news industry.
• There is disagreement over whether the news industry's problems are due to a lack of respect for readers or a failure to adapt to changing consumer behavior.