Thought for the Week
I’m not impressed with “targeted” advertising. I’ve received ads for:
- Girl Scout activities in Vermont—because a person I don’t know, who leads a Vermont Girl Scout troupe, once connected with me on LinkedIn.
- Lacrosse equipment (a sport I have no interest in)—because I bought Lacrosse gear for a nephew who was into it for three months when he was 14 (he’s now 28).
- Invitations to be Facebook friends with Portuguese-speaking Brazilian nuns whom “you might know,” because I have some English-speaking American Catholic friends.
I once read an article about doomsday preacher Harold Camping, who predicted the Apocalypse in 2011 (Update: it still didn’t happen). And for a year after that I received offers to buy camping gear.
Ah, but with the introduction of AI, computer information is much more sophisticated now, right? Well…
Quora, “A place to share knowledge,” uses ChatGPT to generate interesting questions. I recently received these two: “Do actors ever physically touch each other when making a movie?” “Is the actor Emilia Pérez well-liked in Hollywood?” (Emilia Pérez is a fictional character in a movie.) Apparently chatbots are a little fuzzy about what actors–and human beings–are.
On the other hand, a heavily-promoted personality database offers this well-researched and insightful description of me: “Mitch Teemley is a celebrated figure in the entertainment industry…who grew up in America’s heartland,” and then “moved to Hollywood.” He “soon captivated audiences worldwide”… “solidifying his status” as “a beloved figure.” Well, OK, this is obviously spot-on (except I’m not sure the suburb I grew up in 20-minutes from Hollywood, is considered “America’s heartland”). But “beloved worldwide?” Oh, yeah. I mean, eat your heart out, Tom Hanks!
Here’s my latest:
I live in Cincinnati, a 45-minute drive from Dayton, Ohio. So, when I’m planning a trip, I often check to see if it’s cheaper to fly out of Dayton. Result? I get “smart” offers from Trip Advisor to fly from Cincinnati to Dayton (a 2 1/2 hour trip) for $500–in order to “save on gas money!” (Roughly $8).
So, here’s what I’ve figured out: Computers aren’t dumb, people are. On the other hand, there’s a silver lining: As long as computers are programmed by people we’ll never have to worry about a Terminator-style apocalypse. Instead: Robots that look like Arnold Schwarzenegger will show up in Cincinnati in 2011 (proving Harold right!), and buy camping gear. They’ll watch a movie featuring the world’s most beloved movie star Mitch Teemley. And then they’ll book $500 flights to Dayton to watch Brazilian nuns play Lacrosse with Girl Scouts from Vermont!
P.S. If you’re seeing this post, it’s because you were strategically targeted due to your interest in “fluff pieces” (“Down pillows on sale today only!”).
As Mark Twain is supposed to have said, “Common sense isn’t.” The seems especially true with computers and targeted advertising.
Yes! Love that Twain quote, Steve.
I think I was targeted by the WP reader, lol.
;>)
Interesting that you can trace these back. I have no idea why I get some of the messages and ads that I do.
You are right computers are tools, but the people using them can be dumb or create lousy programs. I have to admit this one made me laugh.
“I once read an article about doomsday preacher Harold Camping, who predicted the Apocalypse in 2011 (Update: it still didn’t happen). And for a year after that I received offers to buy camping gear.”
as for 13
Sounds right to me.
Some good chuckles here 🙂
Thanks, June.
I’m glad I was targeted by your amusing fluff piece. Thanks, Mitch. 🙂
;>) Welcome, Nancy.
I’ve never been to Dayton…but I lived in Cincinatti. Nice town, real clean and I loved La Rosa’s Pizza in Blue Ash. I feel pretty good about not using AI and Chatbot, I’m still smarter than my laptop.
;>)
It doesn’t matter, smart or manual, its the luck that takes you somewhere
Haha! Thanks for the chuckles this evening, Mitch. A fun read!
My pleasure, Terry!
Hysterical! (Mostly because it’s true.)
And wait a minute. Are you THE Mitch Teemley?? 😉
Why, yes, I am. ;>)
This was an entertaining read haha! Thank you for the “fluff”!
You’re welcome. ;>)
This is so true, Mitch! I always appreciate a good laugh. Thanks!
My pleasure, Peggy.
I feel your pain … I live in a rental apartment and frequently get ads in the mail wanting me to replace the windows in my home, or to build a garage! If these businesses would waste less money on postage and fancy flyers, they might be able to make a profit! (I didn’t realize you lived in Cincy — we’re neighbors!)
Really? Cool, Jill!
Yep … West Chester!
Nice part of town. We’re in Mt. Airy.
We live in the less ‘upscale’ part, but I love our neighborhood which is about 50% Black and 25% Arabic … I love the diversity! Sadly, we must move, for our apartment complex is ‘renovating’ … so we’re looking for something in the Blue Ash/Sharonville area, closer to my daughter’s work.
Sorry you have to leave your complex, Jill. Hope you find the perfect new home near your daughter’s workplace. Our neighborhood is very diverse too, btw, and we love it.
Thanks, Mitch! Everything we’ve looked at is significantly more expensive than where we’ve lived for the past 26 years! I love the diversity … our neighbors and best friends are immigrants from Iraq and we share so much with them … cultures, foods, music … and we love them dearly!
That’s so cool, Jill.
I love this!! The first thing I learned about computers is they’re stupid. If you don’t type in just the right commands, it won’t work right. Back in 1985, when I was typing commands into a terminal, this was especially so. That said, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Yep.
You made me laugh. Given the mess in the world right now and the threats of tariffs and annexation from your president, I certainly needed one.
🤣😂😁
I agree, targeted marketing is a joke! I know my phone is always listening to me, because if I happen to mention something (as in, my neighbor bought a new lawnmower, I’ll be inundated with lawnmower ads on my computer for the next few days.) AI is good at spying, but not so good at interpreting……
Exactly, Ann! (Which is pretty scary, come to think of it.)
Lol…Mitch, you make me laugh outright. Thanks for sharing.
Delighted to hear that, San.
Interesting @
Amazing work on this post!
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