I have managed to curate a nearly ad-free life. ngl, some things are more practical/easier to implement than others and I'm not saying everyone should do all this. Just sharing what I do to avoid the tsunami of advertising that is prevalent today.
I do no realtime streaming. Every show we watch, I'll sub to that streamer's ad-free tier, rip the entire run-to-date, cancel, then watch at our leisure using VLC running on a small computer attached to the TV's HDMI port. My TV is a virgin — it has never seen the internet.
On my laptop and desktop, I use Firefox with uBO and DNS level blocking. I see zero online ads.
On my mobile, I use an ad-blocking DNS service to quell in-app advertising. Mostly works, a few leak through. If app is good and reasonably priced I'll buy it. I also set up a challenge/response system that blocks 100% of robocallers. And since damn near all live telemarketers still use robodialers that transfer to a closer upon answering, then I don't get them, either. So when my phone rings, it's a real person calling, and not a telemarketer.
I've not been to a mainstream movie theater since the original Avatar dropped. I do support our local art house theater, they don't play ads. I buy movies on Blu-ray when they drop. I'll rip them to my NAS before watching.
I drive an EV, no gas pump ads for me. Except for renting car after flying somewhere, I've not bought gas in over four years. Bonus: Saved probably $6k during that time, too.
Listening to radio in the car, when an ad comes on, I either hit mute (on the steering wheel) for 30 secs or whatever, or tap another station memory. I also listen to our local NPR affiliate so there's no ads, except for short sponsor live reads. I support them as well.
I generally dislike Walmart, but their "sensory hours" is the best kept secret. Lights are dimmed a little, no fucking Walmart radio, and far fewer shoppers. If you've avoided Walmart due to the horrendous shopping experience, sensory hours (8a to 10a) might be for you. istg, it's magical.
That's my list.
What do you do to avoid advertising?
Source: r/Anticonsumption · by /u/valkyriebiker