I spent some time on Facebook the last two days. I had been off for a week, going to a family reunion, and hadn't been on the Internet, except for checking the weather on my phone. And then there was my 55th birthday, so I got a lot of messages from friends. I noticed something. I got a lot of ads about Alzheimer's care facilities.
Sure, I'm older than many. I don't really know the age distribution on Facebook. I haven't checked. I am old enough to be a member of AARP, and maybe get some senior discounts. I have not had any noticeable symptoms of Alzheimer's disease though. I suppose it is possible that I wouldn't notice, or have just forgotten them, but my impression of my own memory is that it is still functioning well enough to keep my job as a college teacher. Why am I getting ads for Alzheimer's care? What algorithm thinks those ads are relevant to me?
You may be asking, "Didn't those ads get your attention? After all, you are writing about them." Sure, that may be relevant to the discussion. I tend to notice ads, because I look at them to see what the algorithms are up to, in case they make some sort of progress toward global domination or the discovery of ethics. I must sadly report that I do not see either happening.
My mother is older than I am, and her family history has extensive discussion of Alzheimer's. Her mother died of it, along with a lot of siblings (my maternal grandmother's siblings, not my mother's, who are all still living and not suffering dementia, so far as family reports indicate.) Maybe the algorithms think I should be looking for a place for my mother's care once her symptoms appear. But as my mother lives with my sister, and has a few health issues which do not include dementia, Alzheimer's care has never been part of the discussion of possible needs for her future.
I also read comics on most days. We get the New York Times on the weekend, and I read some articles online most days, but the New York Times doesn't have comics, so I read them on GoComics. There are ads there, too, because I don't pay for the privilege of reading the site. This week, I am seeing a lot of ads for Victoria's Secret.
I cannot explain that. I have, in decades past, bought an item or two from Victoria's Secret, and when we got the catalog, I admit, I flipped through it and enjoyed the pictures, at least some of them. But that has been some time ago. What inspired an algorithm to send me these ads?
I haven't looked at them. I noticed the name at the top, but didn't even scroll down to see what the picture was. I have also had ads on the comics site about women's clothes from other vendors. I don't recall clicking on any in the last year or so. I rarely click on ads on the Internet. Even when I shop online, I don't look at ads on sites I visit. Maybe I shouldn't be saying this, because the websites might not like me free-loading. Much of the Internet makes its money from providing eyes for ads, something I really don't care about. I am, however, interested in the algorithms that choose the ads I see. So far, they have not impressed me.
I can easily ignore ads about Alzheimer's care options and women's underwear. I can easily ignore most ads. The algorithms only keep my attention, so far, because I am aware of their existence, and I am watching to see what they may become, but that is taking effort on my part. The algorithms are supposed to be powerful and intelligent. They are supposed to become Data Gods, and rule the known universe. But not yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment