1y ago

It's getting harder for me not to think my thoughts aren't tracked by cookies

Like, I keep seeing more and more ads about things I only thought about while not looking up anything online about it. For example: after I got out of the shower this morning I thought about how I needed to apply cream on my arms to prevent dry skin. It was only a thought that took me a few seconds. And minutes later I receive an ad on Instagram about dry skin.

I have never even googled dry skin. I didn't say anything about it to anyone lol. And I get the ad the day I think about it? These things keep happening more and more for some reason.

I know it's not possible and I promise I'm not going insane or anything, so don't lock me up lol. Just an observation.

20 comments

my guess is that those ads go up in the winter (i assume you live somehwat north), as more people have dry skin in the winter. Which just kind leads to you having a higher chance to coincedantaly realise you have dry skin and get a commercial just after.

It's likely operating the other way around. You've been being conditioned to think "I need to apply cream, I don't want dry skin" by the ads, posts and other media you've been targeted with. It was probably quite subtle to start with, but you'll have been getting related ads for a while and ignoring them. It's dark patterns all the way.

They can look at the data they already have about you and then predict the kinds of things you might be thinking at any given time.
When we all have our own personal ThoughtGPT to advertise to us, things are going to get really freaky.

Do you talk to yourself outloud? It could be your microphone on your phone picking things up.
If not, it is probably just coincidence. Most of your thoughts aren't directly connected with ads, so you don't think about it until there is an unusual connection. It sticks out because it is unusual, and you pay more attention to that sort of thing, and as a result of paying closer attention, start seeing it everywhere.

Probably a combination of factors that other commenters have mentioned. Algorithms know your friends are talking about things and you've been in contact with them. Ads you've seen before subtly influencing your thinking. Seasonal product trends. Not to downplay any of this because it 100% happens, but there might be a little bit of confirmation bias in the mix, too. You don't remember all the times you -don't- get shown a relevant ad, you just think; ugh, fucking ads.
- but also why we should ban all adverts like north korea and cuba

I addition to other comments, it could also be that cosmetic products and dry skin is a big industry, so even if you have anti-tracker stuff and settings set to not personalized ads, the algorithms probably have a high priority to send those products as ads. Actually, having less data being used for the adds they send you would increase the chances of getting more generic, wide range products like those.
I also like the "you are being conditioned by prior ads to think about dry skin" comment too.

I noticed the same thing in the past. But maybe you were already seeing ads for dry skin without noticing and made your brain think about it and you started noticing them.
- There probably is a reasonable explanation for it. But it's nice to put on the tinfoil hat every once in a while.
  
  I do it. It's scary af when you get an ad related to a conversation when nobody had a device on them. It's even worse when it was only a thought.
  I don't know how advanced the tech is, whether it's using predictive models and/or listening e.g. to you singing in the shower and guessing what products you might need next. In a way I don't want to know the full answer.

The thing is, ad companies don't even need to track your searches directly anymore. Maybe one of your friends googles something, they know you've been messaging as apps leak these metadata, or know you were at the same party days ago because maybe you left location access on, and bam! You get the ad because it's highly probable your friend told you about this interesting thing he found out...

Definitely feel this too, but I think it's just perceiving order in random events. Like others said we're shows hundreds of ads per day we're bound to see one that we were thinking about one day

I’m the opposite. I never get targeted ads. Not only do I browse on a vpn but I don’t use social media at all. My ad profile is so off. I’m like one of the hardest people to sell stuff to.
- lmao same, I get ads for old conservatives quite often, stuff like “agh look at Hunter Biden’s gigantic ~~hog~~secret!!!” Or “how to stay in shape as a 50-60-70 year old man” and it has pictures of like a Tiger or a Bear or a wolf for each of the ages. Idk why I get those but they’re so damn funny to see.

Could just be a coincidence too. You're being shown dozens, if not hundreds of ads in a day that you're not paying much attention to them until one shows something you were just thinking about and you notice it. You might have had another such ad the day before and didn't notice, for example.
But indeed, the more data they have on you the more chances of such things happening which would indeed feel like they're reading your mind.

I think my friend, that this is as some people already said things on similar lines, that it's a function of a reality that sometimes can make us sad, that although in many ways we are absolutely unique, in many others we are far less unique as we think, and specially if you are of a population that the algorithms are interested, like live in Europe, or the US, even more so if on the more affluent parts of either, the algorithm will make assumotions based on basically everything you do that passed through or near a Microsoft, Google or even Apple operating system.

In this case, perhaps using AdNauseam could be useful for you.

I can't say I experience the same thing. The only place I really see ads online is IG or Tiktok, and none of them are relevant at all, I mostly just get ads directed at women, despite being a cis man. It seems hilariously bad at triangulating my demographic, maybe it's because I often use a vpn. Especially a lot of ones in the Romanian language, despite being nowhere near there. Also make sure you always select the "ask app not to track" option.

I'm often reassured about this kind of thing when I see how bad they are at this. I literally just bought this thing from you guys last week! You think I'm going to buy a second identical guitar?

20 comments