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TV advertisements are literally driving people crazy.
A UK woman named Carol checked herself into the emergency room after a Samsung smart fridge advertisement allegedly caused her to lose her grip on reality. The woman’s sister detailed her plight in a viral Reddit post, in which she implored the public to give her advice on dealing with the unusual predicament.
“My schizophrenic sister hospitalized herself because she thought she was having a psychotic episode,” the sibling titled the post. “Turns out it was an advert on the LED screen.”
The victim, who is reportedly diagnosed with schizophrenia and has been hospitalized for previous episodes, had reportedly called the Reddit user to report that “someone was trying to communicate with her” through her Samsung Family Hub smart fridge. The patient then drove herself to the emergency room, where she spent two days under monitoring and had her medications adjusted.
The Post reached out to Samsung for comment.
It wasn’t until the patient returned home several days ago that the Redditor learned exactly what had transpired.
“When I was scrolling on Facebook today, I saw an advert on a smart fridge which stated the words, ‘WE’RE SORRY WE UPSET YOU, CAROL,’” the poster recalled. “It was set against a creepy yellow background and was very ominous. Upon closer inspection, it was an advert for some TV show.”
The series in question is Apple TV’s “Pluribus,” Vince Gilligan’s dystopian thriller revolving around an author named Carol, played by Rhea Seehorn.
The Redditor reportedly sent a screenshot to her sister, also named Carol, who confirmed that said commercial had sparked her psychotic episode.
The ordeal reportedly made the Redditor’s blood run cold. “Is this even legal in the UK?” she spluttered. “Running creepy adverts like that on a smart fridge with absolutely no way of knowing who could’ve seen them?”
She then pleaded with the Reddit community for “advice” on behalf of her sister, who is incapable of “organizing most of her own affairs.”
Commenters heeded her call. “It’s just horrible for your sister. I’m sorry,” one user responded. “You could try complaining to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).”
They added, “It really sounds like, given your sister’s condition, it might be best to disable the smart features on her fridge.”
“This is a crap situation and an unbelievably unfortunate coincidence, but I’d be very surprised if there’s anything illegal going on here,” said another sympathizer. “At the end of the day, the major issue here is that your sister has schizophrenia and the advert was unexpected.”
They added, “If she’s this fragile, then whoever is responsible for her care needs to ensure that she isn’t being exposed to potentially frightening or triggering media, and that means understanding what is in her home.”
A third wrote, “Yes. It’s legal. But your poor sister, I can only imagine how scary it was for her 🙁 As someone with a family member who suffers the same, get her a basic fridge with no screens or internet on.”
X.com users also sympathized with the woman’s plight, with one writing, “Tbf [to be fair], if my fridge addressed me by name and I didn’t have any other context, I would also think I was having a psychotic episode.”
Others wondered why a fridge needs a TV with advertisements in the first place. Samsung’s support page includes instructions for disabling said ads.
“The most recent Family Hub software is capable of displaying ads on the Family Hub panel, specifically on the cover screen,” it reads. “If you don’t want to see ads, you can simply tap the X to close them. You can also turn them off in the Settings menu on your refrigerator.”
In the event that the user does not see this option, they should check for a software update, per the site. After downloading the latest software, the user should then click “settings,” toggle to “advertisements,” and then turn off “cover screen ads.”
