- How does it work?
- Can I receive these advertisements on several devices?
- How to stop seeing them?
Online advertising is commonplace, but we’re quite skilled at avoiding it. Advertisers have adapted to our digital viewing habits by keeping track of what we read and purchase online, then using this knowledge to sell us products they believe we’ll find interesting. Although it may seem weird, this practice—known as targeted advertising—has grown to be highly widespread.
Online advertising that focuses on a consumer’s unique characteristics, interests, and preferences is known as targeted advertising. By monitoring your online behaviour, advertisers are able to find this information.
How does it work?
Here is one of the most popular approaches: Take the example of searching for a new Paul McCartney CD on Amazon. Amazon stores a file on your computer called a cookie in order to remember your visit. Later, when you’re reading a Slate piece, automatic ads will scan this cookie and provide adverts for products connected to your Amazon visit, like additional Paul McCartney CDs or a Beatles T-shirt.
The advantage of targeted advertising is that you will receive advertisements for goods you genuinely desire. This system isn’t flawless, though. Even if you only once visit a page, you might receive advertisements for that specific product for a long period. For instance, even after giving delivery, you can continue to see advertisements for maternity clothing.
In addition to cookies, advertisers may also gather information about you by looking through your search engine history or by locating your personal data on social media.
The advantage of targeted advertising is that you will receive advertisements for goods you genuinely desire. This system isn’t flawless, though. Even if you only once visit a page, you might receive advertisements for that specific product for a long period. For instance, even after giving delivery, you can continue to see advertisements for maternity clothing.
In addition to cookies, advertisers may also gather information about you by looking through your search engine history or by locating your personal data on social media.
The Facebook profile shown below, for instance, includes biographical details that marketers would adore knowing. This person is described as a young woman who attended an art school and resides in a big city. Advertisers may send her a lot of specifically tailored adverts based only on this information that would be interesting to her.
Can I receive these advertisements on several devices?
Yes. Even if you’ve never looked for boots on your smartphone, you may get customised advertisements for work boots if you’re buying boots on your laptop. By examining your location, surfing patterns, and the websites you sign in to, such as Facebook or Google, advertisers can now infer information about you. The crazy part, then? According to publications from Digital Trends and MIT Technology Review, their predictions are quite accurate.
Although the advertisers who gather and use this data assert that they do not maintain sensitive personal information on file, it is unclear exactly what information these big-data advertisers know. Unfortunately, this method of data collecting is becoming the standard, and as there are now no laws prohibiting it, it is likely to continue for a long time. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to counter the advertisements.
How to stop seeing them?
First, a helpful piece of advice for web browsing: Pretend nothing you do online is private.
Next, download an ad blocker for your web browser to eliminate the majority of adverts if all you want to do is stop viewing them. There are a couple ways to completely stop advertising from tracking your information:
Ask websites not to monitor you by clearing your cookies in your web browser’s privacy settings.
Request that the participating ad firms cease tracking your information by going to an opt-out website like About Ads. Although targeted advertisements won’t entirely disappear as a result, they will be much diminished.
Limit the information you give on social media so that less about you is available to advertisements.
Additionally, every online browser has a private browsing mode that deletes your cookies and history. This mode won’t stop targeted adverts, though, as advertisers can still follow you using other methods, such as your search engine and social network activity.
Online advertising is here to stay, and targeted marketing is evidence of how ads have changed to reflect evolving customer preferences and behaviours. You should no longer be surprised by tailored adverts now that you know how advertisers gather information about you and your internet activities.
