message
Facebook is making purchase information of its users “public” — to friends, business partners, family, and acquaintances in our network. We don’t appreciate it. We never signed on to tell you what we buy.
With Facebook’s new approach to advertising, you don’t get the chance to opt-in. You only get a case-by-case choice to opt-out, if you can figure it out. Otherwise, Facebook sends all of your friends the stuff you bought in your feed.
Think of it this way:
You’re a healthcare professional with a penchant for Playboy and sex toys. Hey that’s cool, but does the whole world have to know?
You’re a student who spent your book money on mega-buck front-row seats to a concert, and your aunt on Facebook spills the beans to your parents.
Someone in your family uses Depends; now everyone knows.
You got your husband the sound module he’s been wanting for Christmas, but he finds out about it on Halloween.
Welcome to BROADCAST, same-as-it-ever-was, Big-A-Advertising. You can give it a Web 2.0 name, stick it in a social network, and hope for the best, but it’s still intrusive and valueless. It’s still message-to-eyeballs.
That’s why we want to make Facebook advertising Opt-In (not opt-out as it now is), or get rid of it altogether.
Got it? Good.
