I'm going to name the reasons why Facebook taunts infertiles and why I should really quit the habit. When I have enough internal evidence I may just give it all up.
So . . . Reason #1:
Targeted ads: do you even notice that those side banners change according to your profile? I first noticed this phenomenon when my status changed to "engaged". All of a sudden there were all sorts of ads for wedding dresses, flowers and wedding planners. I though it was curious but made sense that this is the future of online technology. Taking the public things you say about yourself and targeting ads to you appropriately. According to a friend who recently became single he is now bombarded with dating services and singles clubs. I don't disagree with this tactic, I would rather have 3 targeted adds for things I may be interested in buying on a side banner than an ad for an SUV or skiing vacation popping up in front of the text I was just reading.
But then it jumped to another level. Literally 1 year after I was married they started filtering in infertility ads. There is not a category on facebook where you list if you are infertile, it just assumes these things about you. Thanks facebook. As if there wasn't enough desire on my own and enough in-law pressure . . . now you are telling me I should be pregnant by now, and apparently offering me help at a local REI clinic.
I am wondering how they came upon this conclusion. Is it the normal ad to send on a 1 year anniversary? Is it related to how many of my "friends" are doing pregnancy and mommy related things? Did it search my search terms that I have used in amazon or google? Whatever facebook did I find it a little scary that they know so much about me.
So thanks for the tips facebook - but I will take it from here. Send me the the ads geared towards DINKs and you might be more successful.
Yeah, Facebook is creepy that way. I think they can spy on your computer somehow so if you were looking up fertility websites or something, that's probably how they figured it out. My ads on the sidepage changed from infertility to pregnancy pretty soon after I was pregnant- before I'd even told people or anything, it was creepy but then I realized I'd been looking up HCG levels, odds of miscarrying, stuff like that...
ReplyDeleteThis bugs me too... you can turn off 'instant personalisation' via privacy settings/web & apps - which (despite what they say in their description) sends your info to external companies to "personalise" the ads ! FB is getting more 'Big brother'ish' :(( xoxo
ReplyDeleteThat is really creepy, actually. Yikes.
ReplyDeleteI WISH I got infertility ads! I have been married 2.5 years and all I get are pregnancy ads! Photos of babies, pregnant bellies, products with the word "mommy" in them. Fuck off, facebook!
ReplyDelete