Technology

Today. The entire city is filled with billboards and posters.

This post is an ad.

When I don't see any ads, my friends and I like to celebrate with a refreshing Pepsi!

I see hundreds of ads every day on almost every hat, T-shirt, shoe, hand bag, bus, bus stop enclosure, train, and car I pass throughout the day.

Hell, my neighbor just had his house painted so I literally can't walk around the block without seeing an yard sign advertising a painting company.

You (and I) are the reason the product placement in TV and movies is becoming so profitable. Now quick, move that Coke can and throw the Lexus into MaxoSport™ mode so we can escape the Krill!

Edit to answer your question: I watched the trailer for Invincible Season 2 last night. That was the last ad I watched.

The thing is, I'm not against a little ad here and there from time to time. I understand that someone needs to pay for the things we use "for free".

But what is going on now is just plain old exploitation. Nothing more nothing less.

You have definitely seen ads in Windows, you just don't realize they're ads. Windows recommending Edge, OneNote, or OneDrive? All ads. The "recommended apps" section? Ads.

Unless you have gutted Windows 10 and never connected it to the internet, you're seeing ads from Microsoft.

You may not be seeing traditional TV and internet ads but I promise you that you see plenty of marketing every day of your life regardless of how much ad-blocking you try.

You sure? What about your mailbox that probably contains promotional emails from your bank or your ISPs?

I think the only ads I see at home are Steam and my trash email.

One of my friend has YouTube in his TV that pumps ads, another friend watches the old-fashioned TV that also pumps ads, shopping malls have audio and visual ads, bus and train stations have ads...so I guess the last time I saw an ad was 7 hours ago or so.

Whenever I turn my VPN off to check my bank account and forget to turn it back on.

Every day at the subway station. Huge TV is playing ads.

I look up my windows, and see ads on buildings, also again huge TVs playing ads.

In my elevator there is an announcement for the building Christmas party, that's an ad, it's relevant to my immediate interests but it's still an advertisement.

Honestly, that's a good question. I use a DNS level ad block and that takes care of the vast majority of them. I also use a lot of either open source software which does not contain ads or front ends to services that do contain ads that strip the ads out like newpipe.

Depends on what you mean by "seeing an ad." An intrusive video ad on YouTube or another video site, or a bunch of annoying pop-ups? Nope, haven't seen one in years, either. Non-intrusive banner ads on sites I've specifically whitelisted in order to help them financially because I like their content and services? Yeah, seen those, but I don't mind them, and I never whitelist sites where the ads are intrusive.

Ahh so you're oblivious and don't realize you're watching ads. Not sure if that's a good thing.

I run ad blockers on everything, at a software and network level and still see ads from time to time. Let alone my friend posting on social media how great a product is they're sponsored to promote which is an ad.

You can block a majority of them but it's impossible to block them all, and you're delirious if you think you have unless you severely restrict your interactions with Internet-connected services or have spent days tinkering/blocking out most content.

Five minutes ago, here on Lemmy.

WHATS THE BEST ______ You found on ____?

Every single time I log in and windows wants to upgrade from windows 10 to windows 11. Every single time I have to use edge at work. I've got a pihole and DNS ad blocking and so on. I don't generally see ads on my phone or personal computer. The switch shows me new upcoming games etc. So does the PS5. Plus I get flyers in the mail and see billboards etc.

Laptop/desktop, almost never

Phone, getting better, but don't quite have it sorted, especially since I'm constantly playing browser bingo and situations like links from Lemmy frequently get me watching cancerous websites because I've got the wrong browser that worked last week but not today set as default.

I know I'm not supposed to use it because something something the owner is a terrible person, but Brave has been the most effective YouTube browser since vanced died and I'm not savvy enough to get revanced.

Desktop? On my WinPC as I was disabling them the other day.

And steam advertising it's next big sale.

Oh and shilling in YouTube videos for their own brand

And Google going "please login into this website using me!!!"

Yeah no, they don't take up my time anymore but they're definitely still there

(Android phone, Linux personal PC/ laptop, Windows remote work PC (camera & mic unreliable)

I applaud you setting up a pi-hole....

But please bro, you've probably seen hundreds of ads this month if not more. Not everything is listed on the pi hole ad lists.

And not every ad classifies itself as an "ad".

When I went to see a movie and because I've not done that in a while I forget that you don't actually have to turn up at the time that is on the ticket. You turn up about 20 minutes later so you don't have to look at car ads.

I see ads on my phone every day because I don't know how to block ads on the YouTube app and I still want their algorithm recommendations so I don't use the other apps that pull from YouTube.

Probably a few hours ago.