Avoid ads & "ads"

They exploit your attention. They manipulate you and track your behavior. They pollute the environment around you with clutter. It’s mentally taxing. Ads should be avoided and you should loathe them.

Don’t watch TV or listen to radio where you’re forced to see & hear ads. Don’t read magazines with every second page being payed content. Do not under any circumstance let your children be targeted by advertisers or let them get accustomed to “skipping ads” in the apps they use. Pay for the content you enjoy. Avoid the rest. Don’t accept or normalize ads. Use ad-blockers in your browser or use DNS sinkholes.

There’s also “ads” which some argue are not real ads (but they are). It’s every streaming service now having “trailers” and “promos” for other shows that play before the thing you actually want to watch (and you can’t turn off). It’s the influencer pretending to like something with a hidden agenda. Avoid all streams of entertainment which may have hidden agendas.

Ordinary “physical products” have started showing ads as well. Expensive refrigerators with screens suddenly display ads after firmware updates, sometimes long after you’ve bought it. TVs inject ads in their menus. If something is “smart” and has a screen, there’s always a risk that ads will be shown sooner or later. Paying a premium price is not a guaranteed way to avoid it. Avoid the companies which has a track record of this/similar behavior.