MDN sponsored content… I'm still hesitant to pay for things

In MDN's welcome blog post they included a section about sponsored content. Unsurprisingly my immediate felt reaction is disgust. Instead of unbiased helpful content companies will now be able to purchase the persuasion of developers. I want to throw up my hands and give up on the internet. To mourn what it was. What it could have been. In most scenarios companies need to make more and more income. In Mozilla's case it may be more about keeping the lights on, at least partially. So can I really blame them? I don't use MDN often. But I do use Firefox. Yet I don't support them financially.

And then there is search. These days search is filled with sponsored results. Yes, even though it's called Google Ads I see the usage of "Sponsored" in my Google search results. I've been using Duck Duck Go for many years. In the end I'm not sure using it is much better, other than it is not Google.

There has been numerous alternative search services available the past few years. Most leverage an existing search provider. The alternative I've been following is Kagi. I created an account last year, but I've yet to upgrade to premium. I keep telling myself I should upgrade. We need viable choices. I have my reasons not to upgrade, or maybe I should say my excuses not to. Ultimately I'm frugal. I'm cheap. I want something for nothing.

There are so many things we make use of today. It feels overwhelming to pay for each of these things. But these services need to survive one way or another. Most services will only survive for a short lifetime altruistically.

Yet, I stand at the threshold, being upset about where I stand but not stepping across.