More intersting though::: Don't you think it is in your interest for these publishers to survive? It sometimes seems as if people are spending hours and hours reading these publications but have nothing but scorn for them, cheering their demise.
Sure, but one should probably have to start with making the argument for there being a moral burden incurred when sending a digital message to another persons computer that says "what have you got sitting there?" that requires the person to then execute everything they receive.
>Don't you think it is in your interest for these publishers to survive? It sometimes seems as if people are spending hours and hours reading these publications but have nothing but scorn for them, cheering their demise.
I don't think you necessarily need to be cheering to be fine with their demise. As for their heavy use? It's effectively dead time. I might read a lot of crap on the internet but if not that I'd be watching some tv show I don't really care about or doing a crossword or watching a bug on a wall. It's not high value entertainment it's something to do to make doing nothing slightly less boring.
This is business, not morality. I have no moral obligation to support their business model. They have no moral obligation to deliver a website without intrusive advertising. (Okay, maybe they have a moral obligation not to invade my privacy by tracking me all over the internet, which is why when it comes down to it, adblocking is probably more moral than putting ads on your website).