I’m speaking of online data harvested through apps, websites, hardware (such as phones/streaming devices).

I mean if multiple versions of the same harvested data are being sold, wouldn’t the value decrease because of the competition? When it comes to aggregate data, how much financial value can there really be in knowing that a million office workers just clicked on the same cat meme?

How does the quantity of time and expense toward “personalization” not simply overshadow the return, given that no one can click on even a small percentage of those numerous ads, let alone buy the shit being advertised?

It just seems like there would come a time when the value of user data is sucked dry, or at least significantly decreased.

  • DozensOfDonner@mander.xyz
    80·
    9 months ago

    Seeing how 90% of the ads I get are reeeeeally missing the boat, they might already be over- harvesting my data?

    • MajorHavoc@lemmy.world
      32·
      9 months ago

      Exactly.

      Alternately, perhaps the algorithm knows me better than I know myself. Perhaps the humidifier I just bought is about to kick off a new hobby of collecting humidifiers. /s

      • AA5B@lemmy.world
        11·
        9 months ago

        Yep, just like a couple years back when I bought a part for my Toyota. Maybe I was about to collect the same party for a Mazda and a GMC

    • tooclose104@lemmy.ca
      6·
      9 months ago

      It’s getting weird. I’m suddenly seeing a lot of things pretending to not be ads but specifically referencing my age or things generally blanketed to my age group. But weird things like life insurance and dick pills. Stuff I’ve never searched before because I already have employer provided insurance and my shmegan works as intended.

      • DozensOfDonner@mander.xyz
        3·
        9 months ago

        Yeah I’ve got ads for very weird, retiree, conservative dad shirts a lot a while back, with text like “dad: I fix things and like cars” or something dumb like that.

        I’m in my thirties, European, super left, don’t like/never wil have kids. Wtf?

        (By the way algorithms those facts are just a present, see what you wanna do with it)

    • BitingChaos@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      9 months ago

      I’m still waiting for the spooky stuff I’ve been hearing about for years.

      I’m being tracked. My information sold and exchanged. Big, evil corporations trading my data with other companies like it was baseball cards. All my inner-most desires leaked!

      All to get an ad for a “litter box robot” or whatever when I’m browsing memes.

      • DozensOfDonner@mander.xyz
        2·
        9 months ago

        I did notice that one we talked about vacuum cleaners or something, we got some ads about that. Weird i guess. But 90% of the time with household stuff like that its: research something (and start getting ads), buy something and keep getting ads for another month. And companies are posting top dollar for those ad- companies and their algorithms???