Have you ever noticed that ads on the web seem to know way too much about you? When you've been researching web hosts, as I was a few months ago for Tech n' Cars, suddenly almost every site I visited had ads saying "Cheap web hosting!" "Host with us!" or "WordPress Hosting just $4/mo.!" Even YouTube videos I played would have pop-up ads for Bluehost. The same thing happens on Facebook; if you "Like" Dell, HP, and Sony, suddenly you'll be mobbed with ads for PCs.
Well, this trend sure isn't stopping as most of us would like it to; in fact, it's spreading to mobile devices. Facebook recently announced that they would target your ads based on the apps you use.
How does this work? Well, many apps are integrated with Facebook, so if you've been using them, Facebook will know. And then, they'll show you ads with apps that they think you'll like based on the ones you already use. For example, if you download Words with Friends, Boggle, and Wordfeud, you'll notice that your Facebook app will be clogged with ads for word games.
Why is the company doing this? Well, they make much more money for ads for apps that you click on and install, rather than ads for a product that you click on and go to a web page. So they want to start advertising apps more; and this is how they're going to find the right ones.
While I assume there's nothing wrong with presenting us with what we're interested in, the fact that the app knows what you're interested in is a little bit scary. It makes you feel as if your every move on the internet is being recorded. But then again, that's completely true.
