Have you ever searched for something on your phone (obviously you have) like a shirt from your favorite store or customized bracelets? Have you ever found it funny that not even minutes later, when you’re scrolling on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, an ad for that exact same product constantly appears on your feed? Maybe you didn’t even search it; have you ever just had a conversation about said product and the same thing happens? Yeah, we get it too, you’re not alone. There could be a number of possible reasons for this. Either algorithms are much more sophisticated than we thought or your FBI agent that watches through your camera is doing an amazing job! Just kidding (or am I).
We give sensitive information to all sorts of receiving technology throughout the day, from the moment we wake up until the moment we fall asleep. Our technological mediums know our location, the route we used to get there, and can even predict when we’ll be on the move again. That’s readily available, automatic information; just think about what we manually input. Do you take photos of your food? Do you track your steps and calorie intake? Do you use online banking? Technology knows a LOT about us.
Over the past few years, some have even suspected that your social media platforms can listen in on your conversations, too. After the emergence of virtual assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Home, it’s quite obvious as to why people may think this. Google and Facebook categorically rejected accusations of listening to our conversations to advertise, BUT that doesn’t mean they aren’t listening. Google is listening and recording your conversations, especially if you have an Android phone. Don’t get too happy Apple users; it’s also highly likely that you have the same issue and there’s just not a way to turn it off yet.
Every social media platform is governed by algorithms. Twitter is a great example of this with its trending topics, using a live, fast-moving algorithm that displays the most popular topics based on a number of rules such as how many people are talking about the topic, if it’s a breaking news item, etc. Facebook probably uses even more advanced algorithms. They benefit from having not only your data but your friends and your friends’ friends data as well. It can be assumed that things your friends like, read, or search for could also be of interest to you. This is a probably a good time to remind you that Facebook owns Instagram and Google owns YouTube, so they will both use similar algorithms. Clever target advertising, am I right?
So what should we do? Not very much. There’s no evidence that there’s any wrong doing behind these algorithms (or your FBI agent) and there’s no harm behind it, besides the fact that it’s really creepy. You can start by clearing your browser’s history, blocking cookies, and controlling your Facebook ads through your settings. Other then that, just sit back, relax, and smile and wave.
