alt Hacker NewsI think it's more about how there's a lot more advertising now than in the past; and just how generally intrusive advertising has become overall.
Think about a newspaper / magazine: The ads didn't suddenly block the article, move the page around, or phone home to the advertiser. Likewise, the ads wouldn't slow the magazine down, flash, or make noise.
Those elements certainly amplify the awfulness, but I am old enough that I remember reading magazines, and I despised the ads there was well. I'm trying to read this OMNI article about colonizing Mars, and this stupid full-page ad for calculator wristwatches is getting in my way. *shakes fist*
I'm sure glad that the inline ads model never caught on in novels.