Grapevine

Why is the internet overflowing with rubbish ads—and what can we do about it?

It is difficult to spend any time on the internet these days without being inundated with advertisements.

In Australia alone this year, online advertising has increased 9.3% and is now worth more than A$3.7 billion. That is a lot more pop-ups and promotions in our daily lives—and as data scientists and marketing specialists chase more short-term sales targets, there's bound to be more.

Not all advertising is bad—especially if it saves you money and targets your interests. But you may have noticed as you've scrolled through social media or read the news online recently that the ads you see are often impersonal and irrelevant to your interests. They are also sometimes dangerous, promoting harmful and illegal medical products.

All of this goes against the common assumption that technological advancements combined with increased personal data collection would lead to a better online experience for people. Instead, it seems as though online advertising is making peoples' experience on the internet worse. So, why is this happening? And is there anything that can be done about it?

Annoying ads