Cut Excessive Ad Content Tailoring on Social Networks

Ever felt like the items you recently searched on Google are following you around the net and on your social media profiles? That’s because they are.

Companies are not only amping up their social media presence for brand awareness, but they’re increasingly trying to get you purchase something from them, too, which can make your social media experience unpleasant. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

This article will cover how to limit personalized ads on three social media apps you probably have—Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter—so you can enjoy better in-app experiences when online.

Why Minimize Targeted Ads on Social Media?

Nowadays, scrolling through your social media feed can feel like trying to make it through a market where all the vendors are trying to sell you something.

Facebook targets you with relevant ads across its social media apps through its retargeting service, Facebook Exchange. This service allows advertisers to track your browsing habits online so they can show you more relevant ads.

That’s why you often see the same sponsored ads multiple times over—it’s all in an effort to keep those products top-of-mind, in the hopes that you’ll eventually make a purchase. Needless to say, this can end up being obtrusive and annoying, making your social media experience unpleasant.

Related: Why Targeted Ads Are a Serious Threat to Your Privacy

But there’s a way around that. While you can never stop them fully, you can minimize targeted ads on social media. Here’s how…

How to Minimize Targeted Ads on FB

Facebook shows you ads based on your interests and activities on the app. These include pages you like and follow, places you check in, and posts you engage with.

This can also include information on your profile, so if you’ve listed your relationship status as engaged, you will likely see ads for wedding bands and wedding vendors as you scroll through your feed.

Related: Report: Facebook and Google Should Do More to Remove Scam Ads

You can find this information in theAd preferences section of yourProfile settings . They’re split into categories and can all be removed, but you’ll have to go through each one to hide the ads you don’t want to see.

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Here’s how you can limit the targeted ads that Facebook shows you:

1. Open the Facebook app on your mobile phone.
2. Tap theprofile icon to open yourProfile settings .
3. Tap View Privacy Shortcuts .
4. Scroll down toAd preferences , then select Review your ad preferences .
5. UnderAdvertisers are all theAdvertisers you’ve seen most recently . TapHide Ads to the right of each advertiser whose ads you do not want to see.
6. Now scroll down and tapAdvertisers whose ads you’ve clicked . TapHide Ads to the right of each brand you do not wish to see adverts from.
7. You can also choose to see fewer ads from certain topics. Simply tapAd topics , then tapSee Fewer to the right of each topic you are not interested in.

How to Minimize Targeted Ads on Instagram

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Similar to Facebook, Instagram shows you ads based on your activity on the platform, your activity on its parent company Facebook, and on other third-party websites and apps. This means that you might see ads based on the accounts you follow, the accounts you engage with, and your interests on Facebook.

Here’s how to access your Instagram ad settings to disable data from partners:

1. Open the Instagram app on your mobile device.
2. Tap theprofile icon at the bottom-right of the screen.
3. Tap thethree-bar menu at the top-right corner, then tapSettings .
4. Now scroll down and tapAds .
5. UnderAd preferences , tapData about your activity from partners . This will show you your Instagram and Facebook accounts. The account from which Instagram sources data to show you personalized ads will be selected, with thetoggle bar highlighted blue and to the right-hand side. Select the account you want Instagram to use to show you personalized ads.

You can also see fewer ads about certain topics, such as alcohol, parenting, and pets. Simply click thearrow pointing to the left in the top-left corner of the screen, then tapAd topics underAd preferences . Now select the topics you want to see fewer ads from.

To view the ads you have recently engaged with, tap Ad activity underGeneral info .

To learn how to block ads about specific brands or topics on Instagram, read our guide on how to get rid of annoying or repetitive adverts on Instagram .

How to Minimize Targeted Ads on Twitter

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As is the case with Facebook and Instagram, it is not possible to completely remove promoted Twitter posts and accounts. You can, however, opt out of interest-based ads and data sharing by disabling the personalization and data features in the privacy and safety settings.

Here’s how:

1. Launch the Twitter app on your mobile phone.
2. Tap thethree-bar menu in the top-left corner.
3. Scroll down and tapSettings and privacy .
4. Now select Privacy and safety .
5. Scroll down and tapPersonalization and data .
6. Finally, tap thetoggle bar next to Personalized ads to turn this feature off.

You can also tap Your Twitter data at the bottom of the screen to view a list of topics and accounts that have been matched with you based on your profile and activity. You can untick these individually, but the list will be replaced with more topics and brands as you engage with new tweets on the app.

It’s important to note is that these settings only apply to ads from Twitter and not any by third-party advertising partners such as Google.

Related: How to Delete the Last 15 Minutes of Your Google Search History

Improve Your Social Media Experience by Reducing Targeted Ads

Unless you use social media for business purposes, it should feel like an extension of your life.

Reducing the ads you encounter on social media platforms puts you in control of your experience on the apps you love, so you can browse through your social media feeds with ease, and without being annoyingly and repeatedly bombarded by unwelcome ads.