My computer recently had a Microsoft update and now often when I click on something I get a page of advertising which I have to X out of to go to what I originally wanted to see. It is really annoying. Am I the only one?

No sir, you are not the only one!

Windows 11 is installed on my laptop.

Updates occur regularly and advertising appears accordingly .

Look up the term "Enshitification" It is why all my machines run GNU/Linux except for one old laptop with a (bootleg) copy of W10 that I only turn on when I have to run the few pieces of software that I MUST use to fix the programming on my power chairs or do a few other things, and which NEVER gets to connect to the Internet...

I make it a practice to also avoid other enshitifiers such as Google, FakeBooK, etc....

WheelyFixed

'Enshittification' is the pattern of decreasing quality observed in online services and products...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification