We have all been displeased with forced ad placements, such as the Subway plugs in the TV show "Chuck" or the never-ending ads on our favorite streaming sites. But the ones that feel most confrontational are ads for food in areas where no food should ever be.
One person shared their latest experience encountering an unfortunate ad while in a public restroom and posted it to the r/LateStageCapitalism subreddit.
"Urinal ads," the original poster wrote, accompanied by a video that shows a small screen playing a fast-food ad posted above a urinal.
(Click here to watch the video if the embed does not appear.)
There is a big difference between a single poster for a restaurant in the mall posted on the outgoing bathroom door and a screen above every urinal. It's too much stimulation, noise, and advertising for a moment that's supposed to be unbothered and away from most foot traffic.
With millions of us constantly on our phones, we are seeing more ads than ever before. Some are more blatantly obvious, such as influencer ads, sponsored brand posts placed in your feed, and brand posts that you choose to follow. However, there are also hidden ads, like the ones where influencers sneak a call-to-action link into their bio and direct their followers to it after every "get ready with me" or "decluttering" video.
This inane amount of advertising is leading to excessive consumption as more people turn to shopping to satisfy compulsions and keep up with fast-moving trends on social media and television, according to one study in the National Library of Medicine.
No one needs to be constantly shopping, and many of these trends end up in the landfill. The world produces more than 440 million tons of plastic waste every year, according to Earth.org, and 8.8 million tons enter our oceans every year.
Before you think about purchasing new plastic decor or buying fast fashion, see if you can shop your closet or your local "buy nothing" group first.
The Redditors were quick to agree with the OP's disgust with the urinal screens.
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"The brand is even called 'captive media,'" one user commented.
"This is a bad idea," another Redditor said.
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