All about YOU

Remember when you used to write checks to pay for your purchases? At the grocery store, you needed a special "check cashing" card to do that. Later, your check cashing card became a "rewards" card. When that happened, they started profiling you. You started to get coupons with your receipt that were specifically designed for YOU based on what your purchasing patterns are. I remember thinking even then, this is weird. What if I don't want them to keep track of what I buy??? Ewwww. That was a long time ago. 

Now, everybody profiles you. If you have Facebook, the ads over to the right probably have something to do with something you've looked up on the internet. Other websites that you visit probably have ads too. Check them out. They are usually related to something you've looked at on another website.

If you ever log on to Amazon, the home page is filled with things that they think will interest you based on what you've purchased or looked for previously.

Even Disneyland is on board. If you want to go to Disney World these days, you can get a (data collecting) wrist band that looks like this;

Notice that they have all the vacationer's names on them.

When you are at the park, you were your magic band and wave it over a type of scanner and you can get into a ride, pay for a snack or a drink or a souvenir. The happiest place on earth can now track your every move inside the park. Hmmmmmm

And just this week I noticed that when I log into Pinterest and choose, let's say, DIY/Crafts to look at, what pops up are pins that they think I will be interested in based on what I've already pinned or looked at. That pisses me off! What if I want to see things/projects that I don't know I'm interested in yet?? And dammit, I don't want you to think for me! I don't want you, as a business entity, to decide what I need or want! I find this extremely irritating!