Listening to the recent uproar over Facebook privacy settings, and one would think the executives at Facebook were breaking into each and every house and rummaging through your dresser drawers to determine if you wore boxers or briefs, bikinis or thongs. Facebook, like every other business is just that, a business. They are in business to make money. It costs Facebook nearly $1 million a day to turn on the lights, pay the rent, pay the salaries of over 1,000 employees, and keep over 30,000 servers up and running around the world. Where does that money come from? From advertising of course.
Advertisers want to target their audience. Why would a bridal ring company want to target seniors instead of college age singles? Or in reverse, what age group would a hearing aid company prefer to market to. You get the picture…the more targeted the audience, the better the message is received. To do that, every company needs to know who they are talking to. Facebook provides that information by supplying the “generic” information you proved to Facebook. If you and all your friends are 18, you are much more likely to see ads aimed at 18 year olds. If you and all your friends talk about skiing, you are likely at some point to see ads about ski resorts. That only makes sense, and as Facebook is at the end of the day a business, it makes good business sense as well.
Has Facebook gone a little overboard at times? Sure… however they have always listened to their customers (as any good business does) and has created much greater controls about what anyone can see about you. Before you go overboard in pointing fingers at Facebook however, look at your own activities on Facebook. If you post your every meal, don’t be surprised to see ads for food and cooking. If you readily add apps and games, you give permission to these companies to follow your profile and sell your information to advertisers.
In the end, you are ultimately responsible for your privacy. Just like hanging your laundry outside to dry, don’t post anything you wouldn’t want everyone to know.
Thanks to Digital Trends for image[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
