Over-Advertisement makes me Want You!

Actually it makes me want nothing.

I’m living in the age of over-advertisement.  It’s everywhere, and often misplaced.  My to be children, by the time they are 6, are more likely to know the cartoon character Ronald McDonald that to recongize the face of their current President.  And I’m not sure why.

What’s worse, is the lack of control I have over the spectacle of advertisements surrounding me, even though in theory, at least on the internet, they should be user generated.  I’ve been advertised Birth Control while looking on male friends and aquainatances.  My email thinks I will watch ESPN some days because I will write to and about startups (I don’t watch sports, and I never have).  When I visit a college campus, or talk to college friends, apparently because I am female, I should sell my eggs.  If a friend of mine is talking about her cousin’s wedding, apparently she needs bridal gear.

Meanwhile, no computer has yet to realize that I have picked out my aspirational pair of shoes.  (Oh come on…besides I would look good in really high shoes that are classy)  Part of the reason is: I don’t go looking for shoes on a daily basis.  I know what I want in shoes.  I do go looking at tech, and talk to friends, and all of these middle of the road sorts of behaviors on daily basis.  My aspirations is what I want to see. What I actually see, is nothing like that.  I want to see a world of food where the recipes come from Alice Waters toned down for a beginner to medium cook.  And copies of really nice, tasteful clothing. And Art listings  Not ESPN and lets pretend Shana is a teen Whore who likes to party (I don’t like to Party.  I like to have coffee and gelato with friends)

And here is the problem: I need to tell a computer what to do.  And I need to filter down.  And I need an easy way to do so, so I can easily tell advertisers to stop bothering me so much (and when they do, to only bother me with stuff I want to see).  And this all needs to be fairly seamless.  Right now, this is based on my browsing history.  I get the majority of my fashion not from browsing around (sorry).  I get my food recommendations from passing around small emails here and there, and small recipes written down on papers, with friends.  So how do I tell someone in this world, I am interested, wihtout telling them too much?  Without having to give up so much information?  That world is my private one, my aspirational one, and that is also the one I want to be advertised to and about. It’s the one where dreams are made of.

Suggestions welcome! (Yes I realize this is backwards…and examples here are examples.  There are  other categories…)