Google Chrome to stop autoplaying content with sound

Re:Google Chrome to stop autoplaying content with sound by msla on Friday September 15, 2017 @11:39AM (#15258020)

Autoplay music was in for a while, went out, then came back in, from what I recall: Back in the 1990s, it was MIDI files on the stereotypical Geocities page, or completely hand-made pages, and that went out in a massive design backlash against those kinds of sites.

Now, it's coming back in the form of autoplay video on news sites, for example, which would have been impossible in the dial-up era.

So this isn't a new thing, it's an old one that's come back. Annoying people have always been annoying.

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Re:Google Chrome to stop autoplaying content with sound by outsidetheparty on Friday September 15, 2017 @11:44AM (#15258080)

Yeah, I guess you're right. Seems like back in the day it wasn't nearly as pervasive, you'd know to expect a terrible MIDI track if you hit somebody's MySpace page but generally didn't need to worry about it elsewhere -- but maybe that's rose-colored nostalgia speaking.

(I've never used the phrases "rose-colored nostalgia" and "MySpace" in such close proximity before)

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Re:Google Chrome to stop autoplaying content with sound by icebraining on Friday September 15, 2017 @01:07PM (#15258783)

MySpace can a bit later than what msla is referring to.. in fact, the MySpace period (mid 2000s) may have been the best in this regard, as the amateur site makers were increasingly people who didn't know HTML and used more restricted tools like Blogger, but the bandwidth for pervasive video wasn't around yet.

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Re:Google Chrome to stop autoplaying content with sound by wlesieutre on Friday September 15, 2017 @12:54PM (#15258645)

>Annoying people have always been annoying.

But it increases engagement!!!

I'm happy to see these changes coming.

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Re:Google Chrome to stop autoplaying content with sound by msla on Friday September 15, 2017 @01:18PM (#15258900)

Ad tech is indistinguishable from toddlers who haven't learned the difference between good attention and bad attention.

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Re:Google Chrome to stop autoplaying content with sound by wlesieutre on Friday September 15, 2017 @01:23PM (#15258955)

Is not that they haven't learned, it's that even if you're pissed at an advertisement or whatever other annoying thing they did, at least you're looking at it. And will probably remember it. That's what's important!

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Re:Google Chrome to stop autoplaying content with sound by danso on Friday September 15, 2017 @11:02PM (#15262605)

I agree that it's possible that annoying ads do work for advertisers. Just like super-expensive Super Bowl ads bring in a good return on investment even if I think I already like Coca-Cola enough to not need to see another commercial. But the ads could be both beneficial for one party (the advertiser, and/or the brand) while being hugely terrible for the host. I'm a news junkie but I actively do not go to CNN.com. Not just I don't visit its front page, but will just ignore any content that's being shared from that domain because I know the ad/video-junk consistently ruins my ability to consume (and enjoy) the content, no matter how great or important it might be.

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Re:Google Chrome to stop autoplaying content with sound by nhtaoe78th2 on Friday September 15, 2017 @02:08PM (#15259315)

Hence ad blockers and advertisers crying over browser makers reducing the ability to track users.[0]

[0]http://www.adweek.com/digital/every-major-advertising-group-...

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Re:Google Chrome to stop autoplaying content with sound by TeMPOraL on Friday September 15, 2017 @01:14PM (#15258859)

"Engagement" is one of those words, like "value-add", that mean someone is trying to fuck you over.

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Re:Google Chrome to stop autoplaying content with sound by loeg on Friday September 15, 2017 @12:18PM (#15258331)

It was also somewhat popular in the 2000s on Myspace.

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