If you thought a dystopia was a far-off and unlikely terminus, well, in some respects we're already there.
A Redditor last year shared a disturbing photo of a bathroom mirror with a built-in advertising screen.
"Paid toilets with ad displays instead of mirrors," they wrote.
It was just another example of ad creep, which has taken over schools as well as hand-washing stations.
Video ad screens compound the problem, since they also use up resources to make and power, but the very nature of ad saturation brings its own problems. Advertisements generate subconscious links in our brains, creating a tug-of-war between "self-control" and "just do it" regions, leading to more materialism and consumption. The key to resisting is thinking critically to strengthen that self-control.
Such behavior can maintain your well-being and even improve your mental health, as advertisers "want to manipulate our feelings," according to Adfree Cities.
"No matter how much we buy and try to keep up, we'll never get there," the United Kingdom-based network of ad-averse groups stated. "The false promises of advertising can lead to a sense of dissatisfaction when we do buy their products, trapping us in a cycle of purchases and disappointment."
These cycles contribute to excessive pollution and the warming of our planet, as a person's carbon footprint increases with their wealth. Americans produce 25% more waste than usual in barely five weeks' time around the end-of-year holidays, according to the Columbia Climate School.
There are, on the other hand, four states that ban billboards: Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, and Vermont. And Oregon companies must remove a billboard before erecting a new one.
Perhaps there is a not-so-far-off utopia in which ads will be universally outlawed.
"Where is this so that I might avoid it?" one commenter said.
Another user wrote: "When will this end? I found the back of my fortune cookie fortune was an add! Is nothing sacred anymore? The more I think about it, the more this feels like they're slowly taking away safe spaces where we can have our own thoughts and opinions. Even going to the bathroom you have to see HEY BUY THIS THING NOW like hey, can I just have my privacy and tinkle in peace? Damn."
And someone else pointed to the partially visible writing on the wall, saying, "The 'keep smiling' text makes it all the more chilling."
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