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Oneironaut

(5,530 posts)
Tue Feb 13, 2024, 06:38 PM Feb 13

As an autistic person, bright and loud ads everywhere drive me crazy.

Can’t even relax when pumping gas anymore, as loud, bright ads play constantly. TV Commercials are so fucking loud every second of the day, to the extent I don’t watch TV anymore.

You can’t get away from it online either. I remember when ads were simple sidebar items that didn’t take up the whole page, nor did they scream in your face until you found and clicked the 4 pixel wide close button.

Also, medication / big pharma commercials make me irrationally angry. The worst has to be for Skyrizi (yes, I remember it, so it worked). It’s like someone boosted the contrast up to the max level.

I wish I could go live in a cabin in the woods.

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Nictuku

(3,617 posts)
1. As a person without Autisim, I feel EXACTLY the same way you do
Tue Feb 13, 2024, 06:45 PM
Feb 13

You can't get away from them. We get scammers calling us on our phones all day trying to get our money (and that is exactly what advertisers are trying to do). Now that I'm on a fixed income, I guard what little I do have with my life. I feel I should have to wear some kind of shield to protect me from all the onslaughts.

I record programs that have commercials, so I can fast forward through them, I'm surprised that they haven't made that go away to force you to watch (I know some platforms already do that, like Hulu, and now Prime Videos! (which I pay for!). That really steams me. I have DirecTV, and even when I pause a program - instead of it just freezing the screen, it puts up ads (no audio, I bet that is next). Grrr!!

I have had an aversion to commercials ever since I was a child (before they even had remote controls for the TV), my mom's boyfriend hooked up this switch that had a long cord so you could mute the commercials with a button. I am not a huge fan of christmas or valentines day, or any of the other holidays because they just seem to me to be nothing but commercialism. Drives me mad.

Anyway, I feel for you, it must be so much worse. *HUG* A cabin in the woods sounds nice. I'd miss my DU though, if I didn't have internet (and ad-blockers)

unc70

(6,121 posts)
3. How to silence your gas pump
Tue Feb 13, 2024, 06:59 PM
Feb 13

Those commercials that shout at you while you pump gas:

To silence them press the second from the top button on the right. That has silenced the ones I have encountered. Give it a try.

kimbutgar

(21,215 posts)
4. My adult so who is also autistic freaks out when he hears car alarms
Tue Feb 13, 2024, 07:15 PM
Feb 13

The pitch drives him crazy so I get it that certain sounds can be so annoying!

multigraincracker

(32,729 posts)
5. Get some Roy Orbison sun glasses.
Tue Feb 13, 2024, 07:24 PM
Feb 13

He wore them day and night. Plus you’ll look cool.
I’m a light sleeper and I have a mask and put in earplugs too.

redqueen

(115,103 posts)
6. My autistic loved ones depend on headphones
Tue Feb 13, 2024, 08:03 PM
Feb 13

They just keep them on most of the time, only moving one side out of the way to talk to someone.

SarahD

(1,249 posts)
7. I can imagine!
Tue Feb 13, 2024, 08:07 PM
Feb 13

My least favorite right now is the Pepsi ad with the thumping music and frenetic action. Boom Boom Boom Boom! Shove it up your baseline! I mute the TV when that one comes on.

Deep State Witch

(10,465 posts)
9. My Husband Is On the Spectrum, Too
Tue Feb 13, 2024, 09:03 PM
Feb 13

He uses Calmers by Flare Audio to keep the noise levels down. He recommends them to pretty much everybody, especially people from "his planet". We've sold so many people on them that we should become associates.

https://www.flareaudio.com/en-us/collections/calmer

hunter

(38,334 posts)
10. My wife and I watch two or three ad-free streaming services and DVDs. That's it.
Tue Feb 13, 2024, 09:37 PM
Feb 13

We quit "traditional" television more than a decade ago.

I block all ads that move or make noise from my computer.

Thankfully television advertising on gas pumps hasn't reached our city yet, possibly because half the people pumping gas don't speak English well enough for the ads to be effective.

Sogo

(4,997 posts)
11. It's the same for those of us who are not autistic.
Tue Feb 13, 2024, 10:39 PM
Feb 13

For me, any time an ad comes on, my mute button goes on!

Those articles that are click bait and fill up the screen with ads while you're trying to read the article are especially annoying. I usually just give up interest in the article and close it all down.

I hope you find the peace and solitude of a cabin in the woods one day.....

 

Earth-shine

(4,044 posts)
12. No, the worst are Chase commercials, especially those with Kevin Hart.
Tue Feb 13, 2024, 10:49 PM
Feb 13

Because of these commercials, I can't watch a movie with him in it.

 

Earth-shine

(4,044 posts)
14. LOL. You got me with that.
Wed Feb 14, 2024, 01:30 AM
Feb 14

If I had the money, I'd give to all these charities. Funny how they are all "just $19/month."

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