Social media ads are advertisements that appear on various social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. These ads are typically displayed to a targeted audience based on various demographic, behavioral, and interest-based criteria.

Social media ads can take different forms, including image ads, video ads, carousel ads, and sponsored content. They can also be displayed in different locations on the platform, such as in the user's news feed, on the side of the page, or in between stories or posts.

Advertisers use social media ads to promote their products or services, increase brand awareness, drive traffic to their website, and generate leads or sales. Social media platforms offer various tools and analytics to help advertisers measure the performance of their ads and optimize their campaigns.

While social media ads can be effective in reaching a targeted audience and achieving marketing objectives, they can also be intrusive and disruptive to users' browsing experience. To avoid this, social media platforms have guidelines and policies in place to ensure that ads are relevant, non-intrusive, and comply with advertising regulations.