Opus 2021-147: Stop Clicking

I am amazed at how little most of us understand about the internet.  One detail that escapes us is how it is financed.  Its income comes from the same source as any source of information and entertainment, advertising.  The income from advertising comes from a couple of sources:  clicks and sales.  

You have seen those ads on the side of the sites you visit.  The site gets paid more for more people who visit.  You are also familiar with all the pop-up stuff you keep trying to move out of the way.  Every time you click on one of those the site gets a bit of income.  It may only be pennies but pennies add up when you have thousands of visitors.  Amazon has a program like this and then when you buy something after clicking through from that site, more money flows their way.  Think of it as a commission.

The site I have specifically in mind is The Drudge Report.  I have not visited it for at least a year.  I will not link it because I don’t want you to go there, but much of its status on line and its income is based simply on how many people click on the site.  Have you noticed how when you click on an article it moves you completely off of the Drudge Report and then you have to go back to keep looking.  Count the clicks:  One, you go to Drudge, two you go to the article, three you go back to Drudge.  I had a friend who has no use for the Report, knows it is a left wing whack job and yet goes every day to check one item.  How many million people do this?  How many people keep bankrolling a site they despise simply because they are not paying attention?

Stop clicking, folks.  Then maybe they will listen to you.

homo unius libri