Beachgoer sparks discussion after sharing image of 'the last thing' they expected to see: 'This should be illegal'

A Miami beachgoer shared an image of an advertisement sitting in the water blocking the skyline, shocking them and other people trying to enjoy the view.

On a Reddit forum dedicated to the popular Nintendo video game Animal Crossing, the person posted a photo of a billboard-sized advertisement for the game sitting on some kind of boat in the water.

"The last thing I expected to see on Miami beach," they wrote in the caption, adding a laughing emoji at the end.

But Redditors in the comment weren't quite as amused.

"This should be illegal," one person wrote, noting how frustrating it would be to try to enjoy the beach only for "that monstrosity [to block] your view of the ocean the whole time you're there."

"It is nice to see an Animal Crossing ad, but I'm annoyed now that I can't even relax [at] the beach with[out] an ad being shoved in my face," another added.

Advertising is inundating society, with the average person seeing approximately 10,000 ads per day, according to Siteefy. Being bombarded by that much advertising has actually been shown to have a negative effect on our mental health, according to the Harvard Business Review.

It also has a negative impact on the environment. Per Earth.org, a group called Purpose Disruptors coined the term "advertised emissions," which measures the carbon dioxide emissions generated by upticks in sales generated by ads. 

According to its calculations, advertised emissions rose 11% in the UK from 2019 to 2022, adding the equivalent of an extra 28% to the annual carbon footprint of every resident in the country.

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There are ways to limit your consumption, even as advertising tries to push you to buy more. If you're in need of something, try looking for it second-hand at a thrift store or search a Buy Nothing Group on Facebook. 

If you shop new, send your dollars to companies taking steps to lower their environmental impacts, like Walmart, which has introduced a beauty product recycling program, among other initiatives.

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