[rzt]

You should read about the "third person effect": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third-person_effect

"The Third-person effect [1] hypothesis or Third-person perception or Web Third-person effect [2] predicts that people tend to perceive that mass communicated media messages have a greater effect on others than on themselves, based on personal biases; additionally, because of this perception, people tend to take action to counteract the messages’ influence. The Third-person effect hypothesis often manifests itself through an individual’s overestimation of the effect of a mass communicated message on the generalized other, or an underestimation of the effect of a mass communicated message on themselves."

[IgorPartola]

I see what you are driving at. However, Google is a $33 billion company, yet I made them exactly $0 through ads, which is their primary business. In my mind that means that someone must be clicking on those ads, and I'm sure it's not me.

[woliveirajr]

Google earns money just because someone shows you the ad. And if I'm not mistaken, when you click in some ad, the site showing it also earns money.

So, basically, people spend money anyway, but you just "reward" the site when you click on it.

[rzt]

You are a set of eyeballs or "impressions." Maybe you won't click on the ad, but you were displayed it, which is a success in and of itself.