Imagine, if you will, a world where every corner of your virtual habitat is infested with flashing banners, autoplay videos, and pop-up monstrosities that lurk at every click. It's no longer an imagination, but a grim reality for the weary souls navigating the digital realm. Especially with all the metaverses - yes, plural - on the horizon. Keiichi Matsuda's 2016 hyper-realistic visualization of what the future might look like seem pretty close to where we're headed.

As technology has advanced and our digital privacy has dwindled, one would expect an improvement in the user experience through personalized advertising, right? Well, the reality is quite the opposite. In 2007, the average consumer was estimated to encounter up to 5,000 ads per day.

But fast-forward to the present, and the situation has taken a turn for the worse, going on the verge of Orwellian dystopia: the average person now faces a mind-boggling range of 6,000 to 10,000 ads every single day - twice the amount since the 2000s - according to research by AdLock.com. Of course, the case with Facebook marketplace is totally different - we choose to go there, like a yard sale.

The idea that online ads are tailored to our interests and desires, then, has long been touted as a silver lining. A justification for the invasive nature of the advertising industry. According to one study, 64% of those surveyed said they find targeted ads to be “invasive.” Yet, as we traverse the labyrinthine corridors of cyberspace, we find ourselves questioning this façade of personalization. Are these ads truly reflecting our preferences, or are they just obnoxious reminders of our past browsing history?

As media consumption has expanded, so too has the proliferation of commercials. Back in the 1970s, the average consumer encountered commercials primarily during their three-hour primetime television viewing. At that time, federal regulations permitted a whopping 84 30-second commercials to be aired during this period alone. Still, that's nothing compared to today's 18-20 minutes of ads per one-hour TV.

In recent times, a notable, although scary, trend has emerged in the advertising landscape—a surge in companies that reward consumers for actively engaging with advertisements. This innovative approach aims to tackle the growing dissatisfaction surrounding traditional advertising methods by transforming the viewing experience into a mutually beneficial transaction.

Here's how being "paid" for watching ads works: instead of passively enduring ads, consumers are incentivized to watch them voluntarily through various rewards and incentives. It seems that companies try to circumvent the problem of not coming up with engaging, original ads by forcing people to watch their half-hearted attempts. At least “Uninspiring Adverts” have spirit and some dignity.

It's no wonder that 90% of online users find ads bothersome, as the relentless exposure to what The New York Times aptly called the "junk-ad epidemic" has spurred people to actively seek ways to avoid them, resorting to the use of ad blockers.