You’re thinking it, I'm thinking it, we're all thinking it, and you are not alone. Are our smartphones listening to us to create targeted ads? In today's day and age social media whether you want to believe it or not plays a large role in our everyday lives and is only getting larger in our growing society and it is not going anywhere. In Fact, it is sadly becoming all that we know. So how do we keep our privacy at such a public time in our lives and what is really going on behind closed doors on these social media platforms in which we give away so much valuable information to about ourselves too?
From time to time social media users feel like there is someone is listening in on their conversations to generate these targeted ads especially if they have not even googled the product or texted/messaged someone about it. In the article that I will be discussing today, the writer talks about if and how Instagram is listening in on your conversations to create targeted advertisements. His main aim in this article in my eyes is to show Instagram and Facebook users what is going on behind closed doors and why exactly you are seeing those targeted advertisements while scrolling through your feed. With that being said, he provides us with useful background information on dynamic ads and its definition and also user conversations and how they are being leaked to businesses. He goes on to say how with Instagrams 500 million active monthly users, they are permitting marketers worldwide an exclusive opportunity to reach target audiences. Its users come to the platform to tune into their interests, from fashion and entertainment to health and parenting.
So how do they know? They use something called dynamic ads. So example: you’re scrolling through your favorite clothing site for a new shirt or maybe a new pair of shoes and you click on an item that catches your eye but you cancel out of the browser and think “hmm not right now” and go about your day. A few hours later you're on Instagram and BOOM there it is basically taunting you to buy it. But these ads just don't follow you to Instagram they follow you to your facebook too. This means that as long as you’re logged into Instagram, the items you click on will have a say in the ads that pop up in your feed. And this my friend is what dynamic ads are. There is a lot more to this topic but this is just a peek into what these platforms are doing behind closed doors.
To be honest, I think it worse than that. I’m not even on Facebook or Instagram, and yet these dynamic ads still seem to follow me. I am a big skier, and every now and then, I might go check out skis on different websites, and then go one with my life. Then, if I go on YouTube, or if I’m reading an article that has ads on it, of course there are ski advertisements. And it goes on for a couple of days or even weeks. It’s just creepy because even when you’re online and not interacting with people, it’s clear that we’re still being watched, or at the very least, tracked.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it’s because I’m always logged into my Google account. In fact, I’d be surprised if you told me they weren’t tracking my information. I think it’s important that we hold these big tech companies to higher standards when it comes to transparency. I don’t think having a terms of agreement is enough, especially considering that it’s hundreds of pages with tiny text. In a world where almost everyone is connecting through technology, it should be our right to decide if we want to be tracked or not, and should not be left up to companies who are using our data to profit.
This happened to me this past week and really got me thinking. I was talking to a friend about these new Nike shoes that I had been wanting. I was scrolling through Instagram and all of the ads were about Nike shoes. This was something that was really creepy to me. I started to talk about what had happened in another one of my classes and it seemed as though many others said that it had happened to them also. It is kind of scary to think about how technology is taking over such big parts of out lives. It makes you think about how far will technology go? Will they know what we are thinking next? I also wonder why Instagram or any of the other social media sites are allowing marketers to reach the target audience. I also would like to know if this is actually selling more for the companies; if this is a good marketing tactic? I think that we need to get off of technology more and have stricter guidelines for what social media sites can give out to marketers. I think that technology is a really great thing but dynamic ads I don’t think are good. They feel like an invasion of privacy.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of our devices and social media accounts mining our data without our knowledge is a fascinating one indeed. I have had this same thing happen a time or two. What surprises me more, however, is the way that firms such as Instagram provide ads for more than simply products I've mentioned or talked about. Instagram has begun providing me with ads for products that fit a personal lifestyle and taste very specific to me, and have presented me with products that fit that more than any specific need my browsing or conversations might have disclosed. For example, I often purchase items that further a sustainable, renewable, reusable, "green," etc. lifestyle. I like all-natural products. In the past three months, I've received Instagram ads for a small-business produced, all-natural wood phone case (made in the Midwest no less, where I'm from), as well as shoes made almost entirely of wool along with other all-natural materials. I have not been talking about new shoes or searching for a new phone case - but Instagram knew that those two products fit the consumer profile that I present. Did they jeopardize my privacy to give me such specifically targeted ads? Probably - but I also admit to not having read the terms and conditions. But dangit they were right: I now have a really cool wooden phone case.
ReplyDeleteThis phenomena makes me reconsider the "cost" of social media platforms like Instagram. While it doesn't cost money to access (yet), I think we still pay a premium. Perhaps, as we mentioned in class, this is another way in which our privacy is being turned from a right into a commodity. It is the new currency with which we enter into the social media economy.