Modern Web Bloat: How Major Publishers Create Frustrating User Experiences
By
llm_nerd
Sesame, salt, and substance. A flagship bake.
Summary
The article critiques the bloated state of modern web pages, using the New York Times as an example where a simple visit to view four headlines resulted in 422 network requests and 49MB of data transfer, taking two minutes to fully load. The author argues this poor user experience explains why tech-savvy people install adblockers for themselves and loved ones, and suggests this problem is widespread across major publishers. The piece frames website decision-makers as 'ocean liner captains trying to hit icebergs,' highlighting the deliberate choices that lead to terrible user experiences despite publishers' claims of caring about quality.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledI went to the New York Times to glimpse at four headlines and was greeted with 422 network requests and 49 megabytes of data.
It took two minutes before the page settled. And then you wonder why every sane tech person has an adblocker installed on systems of all their loved ones.
This is an absolutely devastating deconstruction of the current web landscape.
The people making these decisions for these websites are like ocean liner captains who are *trying* to hit icebergs.
Even websites from publishers who care about quality
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