I started having this happen to me several months ago and now it's getting worse. A while back, I went on the web to look for a counter top toaster oven, like one I used to have, which had 2 shelves and I could bake 2 - 12" pizzas. Didn't think anything of it, then when I went on my Centurylink Homepage, all of a sudden I see these items appear in targeted advertising on the right side of my screen.
They don't just show the item, but continue to go through the different items I had looked at. When I am ready to purchase the item, I will go on the web site and do so! I'm not going to click on the ad, then go to their site and purchase the item, just because they jammed it down my throat! I hope, Mr Advertiser, you do understand this! I will not click on that ad, even if you do show it to me, when I did not ask for it, or want it!
A while back, Facebook wanted to know if I wanted targeted ads and they wanted me to fill out the form. Really! You want me to let you know I want you to monitor my web browsing, so you can target ads to me, in my location! GET REAL!! I filled out the form and said I DO NOT WANT TARGETED ADS, WHICH ARE TARGETED TO WHERE I LIVE!! I DO NOT WANT SOMEONE RECORDING THE WEB SITES I VISIT, SO THEY KNOW WHAT KIND OF PRODUCT I AM LOOKING FOR!! I DO NOT WANT BIG BROTHER WATCHING EVERYTHING I DO, TO DETERMINE WHAT THEY CAN SELL TO ME. FIRST OFF, I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF DISPOSABLE INCOME, I DON'T HAVE A FAMILY, I ONLY BUY FOR MYSELF AND I'M NOT IN THE HABIT OF BUYING A LOT OF MATERIAL THINGS, JUST FOR THE SAKE OF BUYING THEM!! I GO ON THE INTERNET TO LOOK AT THINGS I NEED AT THE TIME AND I'M NOT GOING TO WASTE MY HARD EARNED MONEY BUYING A LOT OF CRAP, SO LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE, MR ADVERTISER!
I didn't say it in those words, but was extremely ticked off, that Facebook would monitor the web sites I look at, so they can help advertisers target me with advertising, which I will look at. It seemed to help although it said not all companies will respect my wishes and may still target me. Of course they will!!
Then, because it was election time, I not only had targeted ads, showing me items I looked at, at that particular company, but they also began running Political ads. It especially burns my ass, when I hear some Bitch praising peckerhead Snotty Walker about all the things he has done for Wisconsin. I guess he got my name, from when I signed petitions different times, letting him know I want him to accept the Federal money to expand Medicaid. I guess because I e-mailed his office, this automatically means I love what he is doing for Wisconsin and want to vote for him.
I don't click on anything and will be viewing a news story, or doing something else, when this Bitch's voice comes on, singing his praises. Then I got negative ads dumped on my homepage running Mary Burke down!
I guess they figure I was all for him, when in reality I wanted to see Mary Burke trounce him really good. Of course she was running negative ads about him, keeping his name out there and ignoring all the great things the Democrats and President Obama had accomplished despite the Rethug obstructionists. I don't understand why it seemed that none of the Democrats running, wanted to admit they agree with President Obama. I suppose maybe they felt because of all the Obama hatred out there, if they agreed with him, people wouldn't vote for them.
Would have been nice, if they had reminded people of all him and the Democrats accomplished and which the Rethugs obstructed. The Rethugs were too busy obstructing everything he tried to do and didn't even have enough time to do their own jobs, which their constituents had voted them in to do.
Snotty has spun so many lies about everything, there is no way I would vote for him, even if he was the only one running. I have been a Wisconsinite all my life and have seen all the damage he has done to Wisconsin, which will come back to haunt him. Of course, if Mary Burke had been elected, as I had hoped she would be, he could have then blamed it all on her, when Wisconsin ends up with a huge deficit, because of him!
Of course this brings to light the other thing I was getting at, about having ads forced on me. I don't click on them and when their audio starts up, have a difficult time figuring out, where it is coming from, so I can click on the X to stop it. Of course they don't show you an X, thinking you will listen to it. I had to actually close out my homepage and open a different one. A while back I was watching a nice movie on Netflix, which I was enjoying, when all of a sudden this ad begins blaring so loud, it drowns out the audio, on the movie, which is still running. I have to close my homepage and just have Netflix open, to get around this.
It's one thing to show me ads on the side, but it irritates me when they are moving ads, which roll through different products and then some of them enlarge and come closer to you so you can see. That's bad enough, but then when I am on the internet and click on some other web sites, they too have to jam advertising down my throat, from other companies, having audio start up and it takes a while to find out where it is coming from, so you can click on it to stop.
I don't appreciate all this so-called targeted advertising. I don't have a lot of money and don't like to spend it foolishly on so much of this stuff they are jamming down my throat. I have a small apartment and don't have room for all this stuff, plus I pretty much only buy things I need. I guess the biggest thing, which gets me is when the audio starts playing, when I didn't click on anything. It is extremely annoying. When I want something I will go on the internet and buy it and for sure ain't going to click on one of these targeted ads and buy anything.
I realize it is a way, for the company to make money letting other companies advertise with them and I don't mind, as long as they don't have these moving ads or video ads, which start playing without me clicking on anything.
A while back I was so fed up with Centurylink, for a homepage that I closed it out and now have MSN, for a homepage. I want to find out what is going on in the world, but don't want advertising jammed down my throat.
Things were ok, with MSN, for my homepage, but now as soon as the homepage comes up, the top 1/3 of my screen is taken up with moving advertising, with such ads as Capital One, Turbo Tax, to name a couple. I have to move my screen up, so I can no longer see the moving ad.