I have read the notion that advertising will become more personal with less than a light heart. The idea of companies monitoring what I do is terrifying. This article in adbusters magazine suggested that future television will be modified for the individual, the commercials aimed towards what you buy and watch. That changes the demographic ideal to a whole new level. As if telemarketing, rude pop ups, and commercials weren’t enough. Advertisement is everywhere you look and that does affect you. The sensory overload you get from all of the billboards and such create more stress. The city of Sao Paulo is a beautiful example of how life should be.
I have noticed that websites like myspace and gmail have already begun this sort of advertisement by monitoring what you search for on the internet. I noticed this recently when I was searching for eco friendly shoes on google, later on when I went to compose an email I noticed green clothing advertisements on the right.
Small things like this don’t seem like too big of a deal and may actually be convenient but the repercussions of giving up small rights to privacy only leads to bigger losses. Allowing companies and governments to watch what you do is giving up your rights to privacy. The forefathers are rolling in their graves and Orwell I think you were right.
Websites are watching us?
By Nicole_CoachellaV_90 - Posted on April 6th, 2008
Tagged: Personal freedom
that is frightening...I don't think there should ever be that kind of control...unless of course you consent to it...but I wouldn't...I understand that people get observed and targeted...but companies showing commercials for the individual...wow...and not to mention lame...half the time I only watch tv for the commercial...mostly for stuff I don't watch or buy...so I guess there goes my entertainment
That is very scary. This directly reminds me of the book "Feed" by M.T. Anderson. You should read it. It's a great book. But, it's also a negative look on the future, and these personalized ads are actually in your head rather than all around you. Pretty freaky.
~ *~
Visit my blog! I'll even provide a link for ya:
Comments are always appreciated! :)
I find it funny that people are just now getting up in arms about it when Google, Amazon, and a number of other e-companies have used this tactic for years. It's called targeted advertising and you consent to it when you use Google (especially when you create a Google account) and create accounts at sites that practice it.
Is it ethical? Well, that depends on the circumstances. As long as the company's policies clearly state the use of the information (such as Google's privacy policy) and the information is not being sold and the information collected is done appropriately, then legally speaking, it falls well into the realm of being ethical.
Now, I mentioned that the information collected has to be done "appropriately." This one needs explained a little further. Information about what version of browser you're using is sent to the hosting servers, most often because of compatibility. ASP, for example, doesn't always display well on Firefox, so a developer will use the browser information to redirect the browser to code that it can render properly. Most sites also use cookies to identify your computer to retrieve your browsing history on that site, allowing you to quickly find what you have already looked for, or stay logged in. This information is only "personal" to the extent that the cookies on your computer have unique IDs on them. You then have the personal information you submit to a website when you create an account with them. This information isn't supposed to be shared to other companies, and most respected companies don't share it. They can, however, use it for personalization reasons, such as personalized greetings and emails. Amazon, for example, uses your search and purchase history to recommend products to you through their website and email.
Now, as for TV ads being "personalized," I don't see that going much beyond general demographic information based on the show ratings (ie - angel sculpture ads during 7th Heaven) unless the nature of television and TV subscriptions change dramatically. It would be interesting to see the article's theories, though.
I am treated as evil by people who claim that they are being oppressed because they are not allowed to force me to practice what they do. ~D. Dale Gulledge
I've noticed that with my gmail account. I never really did consider it that big of a deal though. Is it really a big deal? Should we be worried about what this will be like in the future?
That is scary. however, i believe that the american public has enough sense to check these advertisements before it goes to the extreme. ( people like you)