In today's world, no matter where one is, they are inundated with advertisements. Ad creep, or the increasing presence of advertisements in previously ad-free spaces, has been building up wherever there's a possibility of grabbing one's attention.
As many point out, few spaces go untouched by this phenomenon, as a Redditor has proved in a recent post to the r/ABoringDystopia subreddit.
"Not even airport security is safe from advertising," wrote the Reddit user. They posted a photo of an advertisement displayed on the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) tray for moving carry-on through the X-ray machines.
The seemingly harmless photo has garnered much indignation in the subreddit. Redditors believe it indicates a larger issue — that we are being reminded to consume at every point in daily life.
Mass consumption has proved to be a driving force of environmental degradation. A 2019 article in ScienceDirect found that households are responsible for 72% of polluting gases through consumption behavior.
The study found that the wealthiest countries in the world are more prone to have larger global emissions, leading to environmental degradation. With a higher income comes more spending power, and thus, more pollution and landfill waste. The United States spends the most on advertising in the world, according to a 2024 report by Statista. It has an estimated $422.3 billion used throughout the country to provide adverts and boost consumption.
To combat ad creep, environmentalists across the world are sustainably learning to consume. Recycling, investing in the circular economy, and elongating the lifespan of common products are just a few ways they are overcoming hyper-consumerism for the betterment of the planet.
Redditors pointed out just how pervasive adverts have become.
"Wow, not even TSA has any dignity," wrote one Redditor.
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Definitely 👍 Others mentioned that adverts in this way are distinctly American. This could account for America's advertisement expenditures to be overwhelmingly larger than any other country.
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"Do Americans know this is only an Americ[an] thing?" they asked.
One commented frankly, "If there's a flat surface, they can market something!"
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