Dear Poor Lucky Me,
How do the ads on Facebook know so much about me? It’s freaking me out. They say stuff like “Check out what shoes other 31 year-olds love!!” HOW does it know I’m 31 and that I love shoes?
Signed,
Weirded Out
Dear Weirded Out,
You have to start thinking about Facebook like McCarthyism. Things you did in your past, facts about you, relationships- both familial and interpersonal- are all subject to scrutiny. You can’t change the fact that you joined Facebook- even erasing your account doesn’t guarantee the return of your personal information. It has become a social networking Junta. What you thought was a fun way to keep up with your college friends has taken over. You are forced to adjust to irritating format changes and a constant barrage of stupid applications.
But you can’t get out. Where else are you go to go through your acquaintances pictures while you pretend to be paying attention to conference calls? You’re in it. We’re all in it now.
Sincerely,
Poor Lucky Me