> Ads, the ads are bad because they're well targeted and mostly for things which are unnecessary or scams/knockoffs. I found myself buying things I didn't need from dubious brands.
I make it a rule to never click on an ad no matter what. On the rare occasion I see any ad at all, if I do see something I think I want, I'll search for it later on my own. That let's me look at reviews, compare other similar items, and it means I'm buying from reputable sources only. Block every ad you can, never click or interact with any ad you can't block (or just haven't blocked yet).
You don't have to click on ads to be fed relevant ads. Your search history, app usage history, browsing history, credit card purchase history, location history, your social network (using any of those signals), can all be aggregated to profile you and your (potential) interests.
Searching and purchasing the item later can and (often but not always) is fed back to the system so it knows you purchased something you got an ad for.
All true! I block whatever ads I can to minimize the odds, and I take some comfort in the fact that when I see an ad for an item and end up buying later, what I pick up is not always the same product that was advertised or bought from the same place that paid for the ad.
We cannot avoid being influenced by advertising, and sometimes ads are even useful. It's just a shame that the ad industry has become so corrupt and obsessed with surveillance that the smartest thing is to avoid ads entirely whenever possible.
I make it a rule to never click on an ad no matter what. On the rare occasion I see any ad at all, if I do see something I think I want, I'll search for it later on my own. That let's me look at reviews, compare other similar items, and it means I'm buying from reputable sources only. Block every ad you can, never click or interact with any ad you can't block (or just haven't blocked yet).