{ 2008 06 23 }

Self-reflection through advertising?

I’ve been playing an addictive CCG on Facebook, called PackRat. It’s a lot of fun—steal/trade cards from people who are listed as your friends on Facebook (all trades are “stealing”, where your success in stealing the card you want depends on the card you’re dropping.) and make sets, or buy cards from the marketplace, which is shared with all players.

The game, however, is not what has my attention right now. It’s the ads.
Facebook advertisers appear to have my age, gender, and location (based on my net connection—when I was behind a firewall that connected in LA, I suddenly got LA-centric ads instead of Boston-centric ones.) as well as potentially other data. So, what do Facebook’s advertisers think of me?

They think:

  • I want to learn Spanish. (Seriously. “26 year old girls are learning Spanish”)
  • I want an MBA (possibly from Dubai)
  • I may want to earn money from home answering surveys.
  • I care if I have a “celebrity twin”
  • I may have bad credit or be in debt or want new credit cards.
  • I enjoy online auctions for gadgets or jewelry
  • I either have small children or am otherwise interested in “frilly diaper covers”

I think I’m glad I’m not the person Facebook’s advertisers think I am.

Posted by Kat on Monday, June 23rd, 2008, at 11:50 am, and filed under silly, tech.

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