Online Content Farms – Taylor Definitions Ch3
The online content farms are just a reiteration of what we discussed in class the other day. The idea that we can search for something like “how to bake a pumpkin pie” and their position is to somehow determine how to get the most money for this information. It is mainly a reliance on the interest of consumers. Our dependence on search engines such as Google are ultimately where these sites and media companies acquire their data. Depending on how many people inquire about how to make these pumpkin pies will give companies the idea of how much to charge big name companies like Target and Walmart for advertising to make sure that those items necessary are seen by those who show interest. This is what produces the eerie advertisement on you Facebook feed about butter and baking pans because you searched for it.
This explains why the other day, while in incognito mode on Google Chrome, I saw items that could be associated with items I ordered from Walmart show up in my advertisements. Despite me trying to hide my content and using another email address to place my order, I failed to realize that my Gmail account had been signed into on another tab. So because of this, regardless of my obviously failed attempt at secrecy, the information was made available to companies, including those I ordered from to promote and advertise products that may benefit me based on my recent purchases. It all makes sense, albeit creepy.
