You know, this “Adcreep” thing, it’s been on my mind for a while now. So, I finally decided to do something about it, like, actually see what’s going on. I started, well, just by noticing. You know how it is, you’re scrolling through your feed, or reading an article, and bam, there’s an ad. But not just any ad, it’s like, creepily specific. Like, I was looking at hiking boots the other day, and suddenly, every website I go to, it’s all about hiking boots. It’s like they know, you know?
So, I started digging. Not like, deep research, just, you know, Googling around. Found this book, “Adcreep,” by this guy Mark Bartholomew. Sounds heavy, but it was actually a pretty easy read. He basically lays out how these advertisers are getting into our lives more and more. It’s not just online, either. They’re everywhere. It is really sophisticated.
Anyway, I decided to track it. I made this, like, a simple list on my phone. Every time I felt like an ad was, you know, creeping on me, I’d jot it down. Where I saw it, what it was about, how it made me feel. Stuff like that. At first, I did not think I would have a lot of entries in my list, but it was totally wrong.
- Website: Random news site.
- Ad: Those hiking boots again.
- Feeling: Kind of annoyed, like, give it a rest already.
- Place: Grocery store.
- Ad: Coupon for a new brand of coffee.
- Feeling: Hmm, maybe I should try that. Wait, how did they know I was running low?
- Social Media: You know the one.
- Ad: Something about that local gym I walked past the other day.
- Feeling: Okay, that’s freaky. They’re definitely watching me.
I did this for a couple of weeks. The list got pretty long. And you know what? It was kind of eye-opening. It’s like, I knew targeted ads were a thing, but seeing it all laid out like that, it’s different. I mean, there’s the official psychological definition of personality, you know, the unique and relatively enduring internal and external aspects of a person’s character that influence behavior in different situations. So we are actually being influenced by that.
Some Thoughts After Collecting
So, after doing all this, I’ve got some thoughts. First off, it’s kind of wild how much info these companies have on us. Like, they probably know me better than I know myself. Second, it’s not always bad. Sometimes the ads are actually helpful, like that coffee coupon. But other times, it’s just too much. It feels like an invasion of privacy, you know? And third, it makes me wonder, what’s next? If they’re this good at targeting us now, what are they gonna be like in five, ten years? It’s a little scary, to be honest.
Oh, one more thing. I found out about this thing called Swagbucks. Apparently, you can get gift cards and stuff for, like, letting them track you even more. It’s tempting, I guess, but also, kind of messed up. It’s like they’re saying, “Hey, we’ll give you a few bucks if you let us completely invade your privacy.” No thanks.
Anyway, that’s my little experiment with this whole Adcreep thing. It’s definitely something to think about. Maybe try tracking your own ad experiences for a week. You might be surprised at what you find. Or, you know, maybe don’t. Ignorance is bliss, right?