... in thinking we're HUGELY influenced by online ads/content

[NewCreatures]

I think this is certainly the case for me. A few examples:

• Looking a Tripadvisor for things things to at a vacation spot, discovering additional things that I consider doing, that were not part of the original plan

• Buying a book on Amazon, I sometimes buy a related/recommended book (I'd most likely not do that in a shop)

I could give many other examples for me personally. This thought is also triggered by reading some of the "Fake News" claims and counter-claims in relation to Ukraine-Russia.

I have an adblocker

I forget how shit most websites are when using a browser without an adblocker

Well, yes.. that's why they're there.

You have to make your peace with that. Have you now spent more money than you're comfortable with on the holiday? if not, well then you've already learned to treat the ads as just another source of information. You might not have considered the activity otherwise - well, you could say that about a Tourist Information Board leaflet (you can't consider something if you don't know it exists).

Have a budget for books and things.

I don't tend to encounter Fake News because I still get most of my news from the BBC (and the Last Leg ).

I sometimes use ad-blockers too, and can be very useful. But it more than just explicit ads that influence us, it is content in general. We're also influenced by what we see, and what others do. In the past that was limited by what we could see and read in the real world. And now that we spend so much time online, that will obviously impact some people's behaviour too.

Tripadvisor is a good example. I've done/tried all kinds of things I would not have thought of myself. I've also NOT DONE things I'd considered doing based on reviews.

Porn is another example. It provides people with all kinds of "stuff", and has a huge influence.