Consumerism is everywhere, but it's not clear where the tipping point is for the oversaturation of advertisements.
A Redditor sparked debate last year by sharing a photo of a bathroom mirror with a built-in screen for commercials.
"These ads in the middle of the mirrors in the bathrooms of Europa Park," they wrote.
Europa-Park, in Rust, Germany, is a world-class theme park, and though many commenters expressed their distaste for such a scheme and other similar symptoms of avarice, including gas station promotions, some said it didn't bother them much.
"Would be enough to keep me from returning," one user said. "If it's a s*** sandwich, I don't care how fresh the bread may be."
Someone replied: "Not going to an amusement park because of the bathrooms? For real?"
No matter how you feel about it, there's no doubt ads can detract from our enjoyment of nature — and they can even create dangerous conditions during mundane daily activities. From bulletins at the beach to mobile billboards, these promotions add zero value to our lives.
Video ads also use energy and spur consumption, neither of which is great for the warming planet. This post was made in the r/a******design subreddit, but indistinguishable posts are often found in r/anticonsumption.
You can do your part to avoid waste by joining the movement and switching your allegiances to support companies such as Lucky Sweater — "a dating app for your closet." Buying less, especially from the (fast) fashion industry, reduces gas and air pollution.
AACSB International reported in 2022 that humans are consuming resources 1.7 times faster than they can be generated. It cited the Environmental Protection Agency's estimate that 40% of America's planet-warming pollution comes from the "production, transportation, use, and disposal of material goods" and noted institutions will also have to make massive changes to solve societal problems.
"When people buy less stuff, you get immediate drops in emissions, resource consumption, and pollution, unlike anything we've achieved with green technology," author J.B. MacKinnon said.
One commenter agreed with another who wrote, "Advertising has taken over the world."
"It really has," they said. "I wish governments [would] pass stricter laws on where and when ads can be displayed."
Another noted: "No one wants s*** advertised to them every breathing second of the day. already YouTube has been ruined with ads, our phones have them now, our computers are beginning to have them, we see them everywhere. now they're even beginning to appear in bathroom mirrors."
And a third decried the downfall of a once-loved spot, saying, "I love the park but they got greedy in the last few years."
They added: "They seem to have lost the focus [on] families a bit and removed some of the cheaper restaurants etc. But I still like going there and will do so again."
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