Asklemmy

On purpose? I vaguely remember doing so once several years ago, but I don't remember what the ad was for.

On desktop I'm at no risk of accidentally clicking on ads because I have uBlock Origin, but on mobile, more specifically on the YouTube app, I'll occasionally accidentally tap an ad or "promoted" video.

I scroll past the sponsored Google result links to get to the non-sponsored one that was "identical". I haven't intentionally clicked an ad in a while. Generally if I want to click an ad I just Google what I need to not need to. I use a pi-hole so generally I don't see them.

The internet has ads?

Ublock origin.

Maybe about a year ago. It was an actual offer from a site I knew already and was too lazy to go and check it manually. Never making that mistake again as for months afterwards every ad I got was from this site. I now use adblock on my phone as well so I don't see anything but I bet I'd still get ads from that site if I didn't.

Crossellers, sure. But actual ads, I cannot remember ever having voluntarily clicked on one. Not once in my entire >40 years of life.

There was a warez site that politely asked to click their ads to support them, which I did. This was around the year 2000, adblocking nor user tracking were really a thing.

Years. Hell, it's months since I've even seen one ... and that was just because sometimes when you start your browser a page will load before the adblocker is loaded.

I dont think I've ever click on an ad on purpose. I've clicked for mistake I closed right away. Never ever bought anything from an ad.

There were some nicely packed boobs. I like boobs.

I just don't like if I forget to go incognito VPN and shop to buy something, then buy something, so I'm done shopping for it, but then see it non stop in adds for the next 2 months.

I ALREADY BOUGHT A DAMNED PAIR OF WORK BOOTS!

I actually bought a cheap laser mouse off a banner ad once back when you could still find mice with balls in them. I think it was like 15 bucks, arrived no problem, and my credit card didn't get stolen, so it was a win I guess?

Might've been the last time I clicked an ad, and it was 20+ years ago. Oh wait no my news app a few years ago had a top made out of gold being sold for about $150 as an executive desk toy. I checked it out because I was sure it would link to a new satire site like the onion. Turns out it was real and my news app thought I was really into gold tops for a few weeks.

I've clicked on some IG ads before. They have good targeted ads, to be honest. I think I clicked on a game that gives you a mechanical representation of electrical concepts called Spintronics.

Advertisements aren't necessarily obtrusive or a bad thing. There are several content creators, Webstores, mailing lists, etc. that I'm subscribed to and whose ads I look forward to because I don't use social media but still want to be aware of new releases. I clicked on an ad from HYDRA + FOTOGRAFÍA that I got in my inbox earlier today

I’ve been on the internet since before it had ads and have never once intentionally clicked on one. These days I always have at least one ad blocker running, so I never see them.

Intentionally? Probably when ads for Wheel of Time Season 2 started showing up and I clicked through to see if they had a release date.

Unintentionally through misclick? Probably yesterday

Unintentionally through deception? Seconds ago

I click on Instagram ads probably a couple times a week. Otherwise, not sure.

It's not about clicks, it's about attribution. That is also why they all want to track you. It's not just about targeting ads. If you buy something in a webshop and the advertiser can show that you saw a (related) ad for that somewhere in the last X days/weeks then the sale is attributed to the advertiser and they get paid a fee. That is why they want to track anything and everything. The more data they collect, the higher the chance they can show attribution. No clicks required.

Been a long time. The last time I got affected was via a Shockwave/Flash banner ad for the movie "Moulin Rouge," which dates this story. It's not so much that I clicked on it, but it was on a forum banner ad. I didn't get a virus as much as I got "VOULEZ-VOUS COUCHER AVEC MOI!!" screaming from my speakers from out of nowhere with no warning.

While the head of our Canadian operations was in my office.

Who, of course, spoke French.

Thankfully, she just teased me about it and I didn't get fired.

Been using an ad blocker ever since.

Google's and Meta's main business are ads?? I do doubt this! Their main business is hoarding data about you and everybody and selling that data to anyone willing to buy it.

I might click on some sponsored results in Google search if it was the result I was looking for either way.

Fatty McFuckface (aka: Clive Palmer) was running non stop ads in Australia during the last election. Every ad I clicked through cost him a fraction of a cent.

I probably turned ad block off long enough to click on at least one ... I think

I accidentally clicked in a ad in the past week. Does it count?

Sometimes I click on ads for mobile games if I think they actually look fun. They just redirect straight into the app store so there's not much chance of anything bad happening

Quite often:

• To support the site the ad is placed on
• To cost money to the ad's sponsor if I don't like them

Willingly, maybe 4 years ago.

I sometimes click on Instagram-Ads because some of them are so unhinged that I have to find out what they are about?

I’ve clicked on ads (primarily Instagram actually) because it is an ad that is for a product or service I was actually looking for but didn’t have the time/knowledge to actually go searching for it

I don't remember ever clicking an ad. I probably have, but I don't remember ever doing it.

I pay for as much content as I can, to avoid that vomit.