When opening GMail to send an email, I frequently have to dismiss a banner that tries to upsell a higher service tier that promises to either secure some drive files it claims are insecure, or promises better AI tools to manage my work. When opening a food delivery app, I first have to dismiss a number of promotions before I can get to the ordering screen. Even at work, where I might not be the person who makes purchasing decisions, I'm frequently presented with an itchy red notification dot, or a chirpy popup that breathlessly describes some new feature that came with the last refresh of the tab, no doubt put there by a product manager whose quarterly KPIs include a certain minimum usage of the new feature they championed. There are hardly any software where one can get in, do the thing and get out. And the trend does not seem to be plateauing. Where does this end? Will legislation be required to regulate ads that interrupt people's tasks (personal or work)?
