How have you paid them with your lifetime (whatever that means)?

Especially since you've been actively avoiding advertisements.

Follow-up: If you like someone's YouTube content, how would you suggest they be compensated?

> If you like someone's YouTube content, how would you suggest they be compensated?

Not my problem to solve.

Perhaps content creators or those who host their content can find less offensive ways of monetizing?

Sure, they could charge you per view, which is being done indirectly now through ads. You're not entitled to free content no matter how much you think you are.

I'm absolutely entitled to whatever bytes some server is happy to send to my machine. It's up to my machine to then decide which ones of those bytes to actually turn into light and sound.

I am not entitled to anything, but as long as I have control over my devices, I will surely exercise that control :)

Patreon of content creator that I like.

The catch is that you pay Google and not the content creators..

"How have you paid them with your lifetime (whatever that means)?"

Occasionally I watch TV (the oldschool satellite thing) or drive around and see ads.

> Follow-up: If you like someone's YouTube content, how would you suggest they be compensated?

If they have a Patreon, I go that route sometimes... but generally: I don't. It's a hobby for me, if it's your business, it's on you to find ways how to monetize it, just like I have to do with my business :)