Online Advertising – Big Brother is Watching – So What?
I really can’t understand all the recent hullaballoo about privacy concerns and online advertising. First, let me be clear, I’m a firm believer in protecting privacy, especially my own, and I recognize the potential for abuse which can and should be regulated, but I have no problem with my online behavior being profiled so that advertisers can target me with an ad for a product or service that is something I might actually be interested in. I resigned myself long ago to the fact that I will be subjected to countless forms of advertising on a daily basis for the rest of my life; and so should you. We need the products; the companies that most of you work for need to sell them; that’s what makes the world go ‘round. Get over it. This notion that advertising is some type of personal affront has always bothered me. Those who feel this way are free to live their lives solely on products and services provided by companies who don’t advertise.
We are a society of consumers constantly looking for products that help make our lives easier and more enjoyable. We are presented with a sometimes mind-numbing variety of choices between brands for the products we use on a daily basis. In our ever-busy lives we have grown accustomed to instant access to information in order to make quick decisions. Advertising that is personalized to individuals is a natural extension of our desire to get what we want, when we want it, without having to sift through all the garbage. Rather than resist this trend, I suggest we embrace it. A major complaint about online advertising as it stands now is the amount of garbage that we are subjected to that is of no interest to us. By allowing marketers to use targeting technology we would be creating a more enjoyable viewing/listening/browsing experience for everyone. Who knows, you might even see an ad for a product that you actually want.
Tags: online advertising privacy internet marketing ftc big brother