Targeted Advertising: Privacy through Ads

Do you ever wonder why you see ads for products after you just talked about them with your friends. Is your phone listening to everything you say? No, that's just targeted advertising. Computer systems are looking at your search histories and anazlying your interests. They then use this data to put advertisements in front of your face that you're more likely to click on and purchase. It has definitely grown to be one of the most profitable methods for businesses in the marketing world. However, it has raised many questions about what is truly private on the internet. 

Targeted advertisements are all over and sometimes you don't even notice them anymore. Techonolgy has become such an important part of our lives it is easy to ignore simple advertisements. Social Media is the greatest place for advertisements amongst  our generation. No matter how many apps you go too they all can share the same data and put them same advertisements in front of you. In order to keep track of everything you search the website will create a "cookie". When you visit other websites automated advertisements will read this cookie and generate ads for items related to what you previously searched. Almost all cookies are third party, meaning they can follow you across multiple websites as long as the website allows them too. Companies are also able to collect data by checking your search history and personal information on social media. 

You may be thinking, isn't that a total invasion of my privacy? I ask you to recall that all the information you submit to the internet is able to be tracked without consequences. So although it may feel like an invasion it is indeed not. Older generations are most likely to be on the edge about how their information is being shared than younger generations. This is probably because of how quick young adults are to trust any technology because they have grown up around it. 

One of the many positives to targeted advertisements is the cost efficiency. Ads are only put in front of people that want that product which saves the waste of trying to market to someone who is unlikely to purchase your product or take advantage of your service. Advertising is extremely adaptable and can change depending on any factors giving a lot of freedom of choice. There are ways you can avoid being bombarded with advertisements, such as downloading an ad blocker and limiting the information you share on social media. Another example is private browsing. This mode doesn't record your history or cookies, however it can still send you targeted advertisements based on social media information. Online advertisements are here to stay.