If you can’t stand seeing ads as you scroll down your Facebook feed, we have some bad news. Facebook is cracking down on ad blockers that allow consumers to avoid advertisements when they're clicking around the internet. This update has already been implemented on the mobile app, but representatives say that the same update will also be applied to the web version of Facebook.
97 percent of Facebook’s revenue comes from those pesky ads, but since most of us are scrolling on our phones instead of our laptops, stopping ad blockers on desktop was about doing what's right more than anything else. “This [the ad-blocker update] isn't something that we need to do for revenue, this is something that we really believe in, for us, it's a very principled stance on how Facebook should be delivered," Facebook ad chief Andrew Bosworth told Business Insider. We want everything for free, but we're not even willing to put up with a few ads in order to keep seeing the content we love—and Facebook is pointing out that we're being a little hypocritical.
Don’t worry though, Facebook won't force you to look at flashy diet supplement ads or ugly pop-ups. Their goal is to provide Facebook users with relevant ads that will actually interest them. Facebook keeps track of your likes and dislikes (which you agreed to when you signed up). Basically, Facebook follows your digital footprint to learn your interests. They also added the option of removing interests too, so users will have even more power in the ads they see. The tailored ads are meant to make the unavoidable ads more bearable—and help Facebook, since the ads that get traffic are the ones that benefit their 6.4 billion in advertising revenue the most.
If you use ad blockers because you’re afraid of slowing your scrolling or giving shady sites access to your account, Facebook is addressing that too. Business Insider reports that the social media giant is hoping to side-step these concerns by creating faster, native ads, which means that the company itself will be creating the advertisements to ensure user safety.
The reality is that ads are a part of the social media scene, and they essentially serve as your “payment” for using the site, so it isn’t too surprising that Facebook is making these changes. Scroll on.