I’m the type of person to install Ad-Block on all my browsers, set Facebook privacy settings to be as secure as I can get them, disable the Location app on my phone, block public access to twitter, use pseudonyms for any other social platforms, and tape up the webcam on my Macbook Air. Whenever I can, I try to minimize potential information websites can get from me – but being in an era where a social life is half dependent on your online presence, privacy controls has been difficult for me.

Needless to say, I do not like knowing that social media algorithms know how to target me as a university student living in Vancouver, B.C. But after being on the other side and paying facebook to run targeted ads for a conference I was a part of – I am intrigued with online advertising.

A man decided to target his roommate with a list of ads on Facebook. By using Facebook’s Custom Audiences, his roommate was successfully spooked out to the point of refusing to use his cellphone, fearing that it was bugged. The man behind the pranks said that he learned a lot about how to target consumers without seeming too personal.

Although it was just a joke, I have a feeling that if I ever decided to disable my Ad-Block add-on, I would be too disturbed to go online again. It seems like that this may in fact be the future of online marketing – up and way too personal advertisements.

Further Reading:

http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/roommate-makes-his-friend-paranoid-creepy-facebook-ads-160320

ttp://www.businessinsider.com/10-things-in-advertising-september-24-2014-9