The Web is Becoming Unusable
Is anyone else frustrated?
I’m frustrated. I’m sad. I’m sick and tired of trying to navigate the cluttered and disorienting mess we call the web. The place that used to provide the most unique and wonderful experiences has been slowly transforming into the most insufferable place to try and explore.
Do you remember when the web was some hideous HTML with blue links and highly targeted, usable, quickly digestible content? Those were the glory days, and unfortunately they didn’t last long enough.
Perhaps recent trends haven’t bothered you that much. Perhaps you stick to your typical routine of bookmarked sites and don’t often stray to the path less traveled, but, oh boy, is the web a horrendous mess. I especially find the web is at it’s worst on mobile, and it has gotten to the point where I just need to avoid it, lest I slam my phone on the table.
My typical web-surfing experience on my phone goes like this:
- Search for some topic on Google or DuckDuckGo (an example: trying to lookup a recipe for a tasty casserole).
- Click on a link (so far I’m pretty happy).
- Attempt to navigate the site as ads popup and push the page down, this process can take 30 seconds or longer.
- Attempt to read and scroll past ads while not trying to click on them.
- Attempt to close a popup ad that has a tiny “X”.
- “Hey, we need to set cookies, do you accept?” Yes, yes, sure, sure. Why would I not allow cookies on a site I’m interested in viewing.
- Still haven’t found the main content. I’ll scroll some more.
- A full-page-blocking popup: “Hey, are you interested in our newsletter?” Absolutely-fucking-not. Close that, assuming there’s an “X” to click (half the time the page doesn’t render properly on mobile and the “X” is nowhere to be found).
- Scroll, scroll. Start to find the meat of the content I was looking for.
- Another ad pops up. Okay, I’ll just scroll past…. FUCK! I click on it, a new window opens, and it navigates through 20+ pages. My browser history is now filled with pages of redirects from one spam site to another. Fuck. Close that, go back to the main site.
- Okay, trying to find the main content…
- New popup, “Hey, want to follow us on social media?” How’s about you get the fuck out of my face? Hit “X”, close.
- Scrolling, oh I think I found the main content!
- “This site would like to know your location, will you allow?” What the fuck, no, why do they need to know my location.
- Scroll down some more…
- Oh, it’s a slideshow, click on page “2”…
- Start the journey again from the top.
This experience happens: All. The. Time.
It’s ridiculous, it’s infuriating, it’s toxic to my mental health. Literally nothing else in life is more frustrating than trying to find a recipe online. Go ahead, try it. Google a recipe and try to find the directions and print it. It’s unbelievable how many sites use the same toxic flow: Ads, cookies, popups, etc…
We have got to make the web better.
What Can We Do?
There are several problems and some are easier to fix than others.
First, and probably the easiest, is “cookie popups”. I mean, honestly, what the fuck? Why do these exist? Who clicks “no I don’t accept cookies and I understand I can’t use the site if I don’t have cookies because they are part of the RFC standard for HTTP requests.” Get rid of that shit. Browsers can implement cookie controls, there’s no reason for a site to ask a user anything.
Second: Ads. Oh, ads. You horrible, horrible little fucking squares of pointless content I wish I could so completely ignore. I wish there was a global browser override to disable ads, powered by Google and Apple. Pay $15/mo to avoid all ads on the web. Payments are made to sites you visit (e.g. Medium style).
Honestly I’d be happy with the first two problems solved, but I suppose the last big one would be Newsletter Sign-up. That could also potentially be a global browser setting that asks for your email for the newsletter, similar to how “ask for location” has become global. Would be great if browsers had a global opt-out for “I’m never going to share my email address with a random site, k. thx. bye.”
Pros & Cons of the Web
I can’t deny that, in general, I absolutely love the web. I love the openness, the connectedness, the instantaneous…
However, we shouldn’t let things get out of control, and right now they are insufferable.
Currently, the real future of the web is being geared towards mobile apps and global platforms like Apple News. Those solutions are stop-gaps given how horrible the web has become.
We need platforms, tools, and legislation that help guide the web to a future that isn’t complete shit.
Otherwise, no one is going to want to use it.
— C.C. Edgar
