I’m sure you have noticed, but we are living in an attention economy. When a service like social media is free, you are the product. It is estimated that the average person is exposed to 4,000 to 10,000 advertisements a day, up from the estimated 500 people saw per day in the 1970s. Through billboards, signs, commercials and social media ads, it is difficult to spend 10 minutes without being sold something.  

This may seem like an inconvenient but inconsequential fact of our modern age, but I’d argue mass advertisement culture is detracting from our humanity. Being constantly inundated with messages to buy more, optimize our lives, and show off what we have is making us place more value on the material and less on what makes our lives good.  

The other day, I went to Trader Joe’s and bought a snack I had heard about just hours before on my Instagram feed. Of course, it was delicious, but it led me to consider how much of my life is currently directed by what I see on social media, whether I realize it or not. As the line between advertisement and real content blurs, through subtle product placement in shows and movies or sponsored content being stealthily mixed into our social media feeds, we are less able to distinguish what is honest from what a third-party is trying to influence us to think. This is especially important during election seasons, as we are persistently being fed different information on candidates, issues and parties. This becomes even more concerning when you consider that platforms like Instagram and Facebook neglect to even fact check their ads. Social media has been an avenue toward democratizing information and free expression, but the prevalence of these persistent advertisements leads me to think we are heading in the wrong direction.  

As we enter adulthood, we need to be employing hobbies and moments that do not involve being fed constant advertisement. Try a screenless night with your friends. Read a physical book. Find a nature trail or recreational sport to try on the weekend. Walk to class without your headphones. Give your brain a break from being constantly sold to and see how you might start thinking for yourself again.