They Spy and Listen And Remember

 


     Yesterday, I searched online for a nice, inexpensive watch (the one I was using is dying and repair cost is quite astronomical so I’m thinking of just replacing it), and now, expectedly, Facebook ads for different brands of watch (Timex, Tissot, Casio, Rolex and others that I’m only hearing now, and even those brands that give to charity every time you buy one) are infesting my News Feed, to think that I didn’t even use Facebook for my research.

     They say social media spy on you more aggressively than a real (human) spy, and I tend to agree.

     There were even instances when me and a sibling would talk about something we wanted to buy, while our cell phones were on a table in front of us, and voila! The next moment I scrolled on my FB News Feed, ads for the said product littered my News Feed. Gives you goosebumps, yes.

     Now, I’m scared to THINK of something I want to buy because ads for it might fester my social media.

     And speaking of seemingly sentient ads, a few Novembers ago, pre-pandemic, I saw an FB post about miniature statues (those few-inches tall statues that resemble people), and thought it would be cute as a gift. I got into a Facebook page that created just these small statues, but alas, it turned out that they needed a full-body photo, and I didn’t have a full-body photo of the would-be-recipient, and I was too shy to ask her (so I ended up deciding on a different gift).

     It’s November again, and out of the blue, a Facebook Page (different from the previous one) creating miniature statues started popping on my News Feed daily and repeatedly. I didn't do anything to warrant its resurrection on my News Feed, and I actually had forgotten about it.

    It seems that social media don’t just eavesdrop on people, it also remembers and will badger you and constantly remind you of your past searches, or of the the things that you should have bought—and should buy.

     Yep, technology gets scarier with its every leap, and with its every leap comes a product endorsement.

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