Local captures photo of unexpected signage disrupting iconic landmark view: 'Nothing is sacred anymore'

The annual meeting of people who love ubiquitous, intrusive advertising could be held inside a phone booth.

Distaste for ads transcends international borders; almost nobody wants them, yet they're everywhere. A Reddit user on the r/melbourne subreddit shared a photo of a local landmark blighted by a banner advertisement for chewing gum.

With the appropriate title, "Visual pollution," they wrote, "Used to enjoy the view of the shot tower against the glass cone roof in Melb Central. But I guess someone has decided there's money to be made instead."

Dozens of comments agreed heartily with the sentiments of the opening post.

A commenter pithily quipped, "Nothing is sacred anymore lol."

One captured the frustration felt by everyone in the thread, saying, "It's actually disgusting all that effort to preserve a historic building then it's covered by these ads."

Another said, "Please I just want to go somewhere without being advertised to for one damn minute."

The discussion highlights an important point about advertising that penetrates every aspect of life, fueling an unsustainable obsession with consumerism. As much as they're hated by all, ads also help drive excessive consumption and the dire environmental consequences that come with it.

Every consumer good on the market extracts a cost from the planet. Every shiny little widget on store shelves involves some combination of resource extraction, transportation, and, ultimately, waste. As a report from EcoWatch noted, natural resource consumption worldwide has tripled in the four decades between 1970 and 2010. 

All that excess waste typically ends up in landfills.

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The negative environmental impact of landfills is considerable, including the release of harmful emissions such as methane and the destruction of natural habitats.

Moreover, they also have adverse social effects, including reduced property values and health consequences for residents, as CBS News reported. 

Clamping down on advertising is a politically savvy move. For example, a poll by Scenic America found an overwhelming majority of people support restrictions on displays. As one of the thread's comments said:

"There should be some guidelines or laws on not putting advertising on heritage buildings/structures. How is there not already?"

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