Adblock feature automatically tips websites — but you’re cheap, so it won’t matter

I’m not talking about you, of course, I’m talking about them — but more on that later.

Today, Adblock announced a new feature that allows users to send a few pennies to the websites they visit most often. Its a feature designed to “revolutionize web monetization” by ridding the Web of ads while still providing financial incentives for sites that provide great content.

The feature is part of a collaboration with Flattr, a service that users deposit money on to be automatically distributed to websites that participate in the program.

The system relies on Web users (like you) appropriating an amount of cash to incentivize good content, form there Flattr handles the rest by automatically distributing these funds to the websites you visit most often. It’s really a cool solution, but let’s be honest, it’s not the answer.

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While Adblock Plus says its goal is to “raise half a billion dollars” for publishers next year, a recent report suggests that publications lost $22 billion in ad revenue in just the first seven months of 2015.

Plus, people are cheap. Wikipedia is one of the greatest resources on the Web, it’s free, and poor Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia’s founder) has to beg nearly 3.5 billion Web users for spare change in order to keep it operational.

Crowdfunded journalism sounds like a great idea, but the reality of the matter is: it’s only proved successful in a handful of use cases. Plus, do you really want to send 75 percent of your money to sites that pay the bills with shitty quizzes, clickbait and celebrity nip slips?