After reinstalling the Pinterest app, one user noticed a significant and disappointing change: a huge increase in ads for excessive shopping and wasteful retailers.
They shared their experience on Reddit in the r/Anticonsumption community, explaining they previously used Pinterest a lot, then decided to only open it as needed. A year passed, and when they logged back in, ads dominated their feed.
The original poster said, "Was absolutely shocked when I re-downloaded about a month ago to see that the majority of posts on my feed were ads." They continued: "These ads are also from cheap companies like Temu selling stuff nobody really needs."
As the climate crisis worsens, many internet users have been increasingly frustrated by the uptick in ads encouraging excessive consumerism and waste.
This deluge of ads we experience online and on social media platforms leads to an increase in product demand and manufacturing. Many of the products we buy require the burning of fossil fuels to create and ship them, which contributes to our planet's overheating.
Cheap items like fast-fashion clothing are only meant to last a short time, quickly ending up as clutter in overfilled landfills and creating more pollution as they decompose.
According to The World Counts, "if everyone lived like Western consumers, we would need five planets to support us." Thankfully, there are many ways to cut down on consumption. Recycling, shopping secondhand, and repurposing what we already own are effective ways to reduce pollution and help the planet.
Other Redditors responded to the OP's post by sharing their similar experiences and disappointment. One user said: "I literally submitted a feedback complaint. Pinterest used to be good."
Another user shared their shock over the number of ads on Pinterest and said: "It's basically useless at this point!"
One Redditor wrote: "It is nothing like it used to be. I hardly use it now. It's such a shame."
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