CONSUMERISM

Will Your Rejection Hurt Big Tech’s Feelings?

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When I was young, this guy I knew simply would not take no for an answer. He was always hanging around. If I went out with my friends to a certain bar, he’d always turn up. He was stalking me, and I did not like it.

I’m catching that same vibe now from Big Tech. Advertisers/Big Tech are watching every move I make and trying to use that information to get my attention. They’re everywhere I go.

But it turns me off. When they shoot me an ad, I feel irritated and perversely am less likely to purchase something than I might have been otherwise.

I confess I’ve never quite understood why it works.

I mean I know the mechanics (I’ve worked in advertising) but I don’t understand why people fall for it.

I know a helluva lot about my husband and kids, but I still never know what sort of presents to buy them. Maybe I just don’t spy on my family members enough to know what they want, or maybe we’re outliers.

It certainly works on others.

Advertisers spent about $297.5 billion in North America in 2021, according to . In return, we bought enormous quantities of things we did not need, most…