Nowadays, the internet resembles the Wild West—advertisements everywhere and digital traps lurking at every corner. We must carefully consider where we click, as beyond ads, we also face viruses and more sophisticated cyber threats. Some of these risks can be mitigated by using a Chromebook, as we've written in previous posts; since Chromebooks are less vulnerable to viruses, they can also benefit from various ad-blocking solutions.
IT and business are now deeply interconnected, requiring awareness of both technology and media. That’s why we discuss this topic—even if it may not seem like technical content at first, constant distractions and stress make it crucial for efficiency. Just as AI usage has become a fundamental requirement, choosing and maintaining our tools, as well as shaping our work methods, is our responsibility—something we can integrate into corporate culture as a best practice.
The non-ad elements of websites employing psychological tricks can be just as disruptive. This includes user-generated content on social media that algorithms present to us and endless notifications designed to exploit FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), increasing the time we spend on these platforms—essentially stealing our time. More conscious users, like IT professionals, don't use such sites for entertainment but sometimes need them for work, at which point they prefer controlling what appears on their screen—and consequently, in their mind.
As part of digital detox strategies, more users are opting for browser extensions that regulate platforms like Facebook. However, it’s even more practical to use a universal browser extension rather than installing a separate one for each site. One such tool is CustomBlocker, which can be downloaded for free from the Chrome Web Store.
Using its built-in wizard, users can select undesirable sections on any website and hide them—whether ads, videos, or other content. The saying goes: "If you're not paying for the product, you are the product." Service providers leverage this principle and try to push as much content onto users as possible. Fortunately, on our own devices—for now—we still get to decide what we allow and what we don’t.
