They are one of the most infuriating things for me. But I curious to know why is this a popular pattern in websites. Do people actually stop whatever they were planning to do and watch the video ?

I’ve blocked them on all my devices. But once in a while I see them when I use someone else’s devices and I wonder.

  • JimmyBigSausage@lemm.ee
    60·
    5 months ago

    I try to watch all of them. They are always super informative and entertaining. They always are about something I am interested in. They are always super short and never get in the way of what I am trying to read or actually view. I particularly like how they sometimes play more than one video so it can be a two for one!! Thanks internet ad gods!! /s

  • AlecSadler@sh.itjust.works
    31·
    5 months ago

    Not me. In fact if it isn’t blocked and I can’t easily get rid of it, I’ll bail on the site altogether.

    Honestly don’t understand what the benefit to anybody is. If I want to watch it, I will, if I don’t, I won’t. They’re just making the overall experience worse.

    I assume it’s some bonehead manager that thinks it looks cool or will increase engagement though.

    • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
      9·
      5 months ago

      Exactly. If a site tries to shove things down my throat so much that it prevents me from accessing the part that I want to access, fuck em. I close the tab.

    • eco_game@discuss.tchncs.de
      5·
      5 months ago

      I find it even more puzzling as surely it has to be a decent increase in server demand to constantly be streaming video. How can that be worth it??

    • Valmond@lemmy.world
      5·
      5 months ago

      Look boss we have ‘engagement’ up 700% now! Everyone looks at the video!! Well, at least 5 to 15 seconds it seems but not more hmm gotta fix that too now…

    • ASaltPepper
      4·
      5 months ago

      There’s a Wikipedia page about this phenomenon where advertisers started to prefer video in 2015.

      Explains exactly what you’re seeing.

  • Mothra@mander.xyz
    29·
    5 months ago

    Not me, and most people here won’t. You’re asking the wrong demographic.

    My mother for example, she watches everything on any website she visits, and she doesn’t always tap video popups away since she knows she sometimes gets accidentally redirected elsewhere. My father and I have offered her adblockers many times, but she always strongly rejects it. She doesn’t want anyone meddling with her phone and she finds adblockers annoying because, very occasionally, they will block content she actually wants to watch and no, she doesn’t remember how to allow permissions for exceptions in such cases.

    I bet she’s like the majority of people out there. Most don’t mind the ads and some even go for the bait.

    • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.techEnglish
      14·
      5 months ago

      Yep, we all know they’re horrible UI/UX, but OP is asking a demographic who knows what UI/UX even means. Most people see nothing wrong with the modern internet, and view ads and unskippable videos as the norm, with no alternative, and happily consume it all.

    • QuarterSwede@lemmy.world
      5·
      5 months ago

      This is my wife. I have a network adblocker and had to whitelist google ads because she wanted to see the pictures of products when searching even though they’re google ads and she knows it. Doesn’t matter, she actually likes them. Gahhhhhhh.

  • Zier@fedia.io
    20·
    5 months ago

    Nothing ever auto plays on my devices. uBlock Origin & Firefox allow me to decide how my experience plays (ba-dum-tiss) out.

  • sudo42@lemmy.worldEnglish
    7·
    5 months ago

    Don’t forget the “feature” where the video chases you around the page to force you to watch it. “You scrolled away, but we just know you really want to watch video of our Action News! team reporting on a completely unrelated topic!

    While you’re here, do please enjoy a popup that completely blocks access to the page. We felt it necessary to keep the annoying pop-up despite the fact that we have no advertising to put in it. Just the name of our website. Yay us!

  • cmbabul@lemmy.world
    5·
    5 months ago

    This is actually what o truly do not understand about marketing, how are they so disconnected as to think that folks are actually watching and paying attention to that shit. Are they just delusional?