Everyday we are inundated with ads. We encounter ads everywhere we go, even when at home. This got to me thinking whether I can go through a day without seeing or hearing one single advertisement.
(While my decision to purchase the things I currently possess may have been influenced by the ads I've seen or heard beforehand, in this thought exercise I do not consider such items as ads.)
If I decide to go out, I can't look at storefront windows because ads promoting the products they sell are often found on the other side of the glass; I can't look upward because of the billboards above; I can't look towards the street because many vehicles are covered with ads; I can't take public transport because ads are plastered to the interior of many of the vehicles. I can't even hike on the neighbourhood trail as there are signs advertising lodgings for sale on the route between my home and the trail entrance. This basically means that, if I want to go through a day without coming into contact with any advertisement for a day, I would have to stay home for an entire day. (Assuming no one else is at home, otherwise I would have to lock myself in for the entire day.)
Since, in this exercise, I am likely confined to my home for the whole day, I have to do something to keep myself occupied. It probably takes me the entire morning to clean up the home. I can get some work done in the afternoon, but I don't think I keep my mind focused entirely on work matters for 6 hours straight. This means that I need to find something else to do.
Watching television programs would be a no-no, as no channel available to my home is commercial-free. I can't listen to the radio for the same reason (and I only use the radio feature of my MP3 player). Movie DVD's may be commercial-free, but product placements can pop up at any time, so I can't watch them either.
I can't read any newspaper or serf the web freely as most web sites are filled with ads, not to mention the pop-up ads (one can't rely on the blocking software to filter everything). I don't think I can play computer games for the entire day either.
Since I cannot see any advertisements, my reading options are limited to the books I already own. Good thing I don't mind reading King Solomon's Mines for the hundredth time.
Perhaps the simplest way to avoid contact with advertisements for a day is to confine myself to the bed for the entire day.