This morning I was having a parking lot meal in my car, (journalists have these a lot) and I saw on Twitter that Acxiom and Facebook were going to work together to bring us some relevant advertising.
So, it's not really for us. It is for the businesses and brands that advertise on Facebook.
It's good news for them.
My behavior is going to make it very easy to figure out I'm in to clothes I can't afford, camera equipment, and animals that will ruin expensive clothes.
This type of target advertising isn't new, but combine Acxiom's goods on us with Facebook's goods on us, and this type of advertising has become intense/scary.
I know a really paranoid guy who will say the biggest travesty is there's no way to opt out.
We're sharing our private data without consent. They're taking it from us, he'll say!
I'm sorry, but I like getting discounts at Kroger and special coupons and points!
I'll share a little data for that, I guess, said the little sheep.
Here's my worry.
We're getting so narrow.
My entire online experience will probably, eventually, become catered so that I don't find anything really interesting anymore.
It will more and more look like a bunch of stuff that affirms my own values, beliefs and preferences.
Not a lot of expansion in that.
Even StumbleUpon, Pandora and news aggregators use your own preferences and activity to show you more of what you already like, and less of what is unfamiliar.
And it is sweeter to happen upon a great song played by a new friend on a ride in the car than to find one in the long playlist of someone you'll never meet.
Maybe this is where the Internet finally loses a little power over real life.
Comments (6)
Add commentThe relevant question here Courtney....
...is why do why find Facebook a necessity? After all, you never worry about opting out if you never opt in!
Seriously though - why bother with Facebook?
Well.................
Maybe immaturity?
True that
.
Your data will be collected
Your data will be collected if you're not on Facebook.
Why do I bother?
There are people and information there. That is most recently why I am on Facebook.
It changes over time. I know some people see it only as a dating mechanism, and others use it just to keep in touch with family.
And doesn't it seem lately like most use it to express their anger?
And doesn't it seem lately like most use it to.....
....express their anger?
Is that FaceBook or the LCD Forum you are referring to with that question???
Which begs the question
What is, really, private data?
I certainly vent enough of my spleen just on this website where my deal is not a secret.
And, taken further, if we're all being hyper-analyzed, that fog of data is a huge pile to wade through. Much harder to find a needle when it's in a large haystack.
Finally: So we're all unique. Y'all aren't like me and I'm not like you. So why not have data catered to me to be delivered to me? Is the worst harm my finding out about something which not only interests me, but has zero meaning to you? (And that from a fog of data the NSA would be hard-pressed to use to find out about stuff I'd as soon keep to myself?)
DATA (da tay) or DATA (day tay)
What's the difference?
A: One is my name the other is not!