I have become all too aware of how internet searches and website cookies are tracking and capturing data from my use. For example, I recently searched for tall boots with narrow calves, and immediately, all of my social media feeds were saturated with ads for boots. All the ads I see are driven by data monetization, which gathers information based on user preferences and website history and sells it to third parties.
I warn them to use Snopes to look up the statement that they posted to determine its truthfulness.
Younger audiences who visit Instagram and TikTok are savvier than most Facebook users. However, they are easily swayed by influencers. My college-aged daughter recently got her eyebrows laminated after admitting to viewing many influencers' posts featuring images of their "perfect" eyebrows. The influencers are earning money through brand deals and partnerships. However, as Dr. Ying Sun mentions in this week's lecture, influencer posts can "blur the line between authentic content and advertising" (Sun, 2025, 6:36).
Do you pay for YouTube or LinkedIn premium subscriptions? Although I find YouTube ads distracting, I understand and accept that this is how much content creators earn revenue through participating in AdSense. If I were actively pursuing a new job, I might consider buying a premium LinkedIn subscription, though I feel that the platform is suited to careers that rely on heavy networking, such as sales.
Information professionals, including middle and high school teachers, should teach digital literacy as it relates to the monetization of social media. Users should be aware of the methods that social media platforms use to entice and persuade viewers. Has your library considered offering a program on social media?
Reference
Sun, Y. (n.d.). Social Media Audience and Platforms: Who is Using What and Why it Matters. LIS 558 OA1: Social Media. https://ublearns.buffalo.edu/d2l/le/content/319934/viewContent/5030600/View
Data-driven advertising targeting that Facebook embeds into my feed is distracting and not useful. I X out every ad that I come across, hoping that it will not reappear. Do you do the same? However, doing so makes me wonder if closing the ad captures my behavior as a positive interaction, much in the same way that when one clicks out of a pop-up ad, "no" often means "yes."
As we know, Facebook mainly consists of older users; perhaps these users are unaware that they can click to close an ad or change their privacy settings. I have noticed that many of my Facebook "friends" keep sharing the same advice on how to get more content from people they know, and less from companies trying to sell something. Here is one example:
As we know, Facebook mainly consists of older users; perhaps these users are unaware that they can click to close an ad or change their privacy settings. I have noticed that many of my Facebook "friends" keep sharing the same advice on how to get more content from people they know, and less from companies trying to sell something. Here is one example:
If you are thinking of getting off FB because of the volume of sales ads and trash stuff, hold your finger anywhere in this post and click ′copy'. Go to your page where it says 'What's on your mind?' Tap your finger anywhere in the blank field. Click paste. This upgrades the system. Goodbye, annoying ads, and hello new and old friends!
I warn them to use Snopes to look up the statement that they posted to determine its truthfulness.
Do you pay for YouTube or LinkedIn premium subscriptions? Although I find YouTube ads distracting, I understand and accept that this is how much content creators earn revenue through participating in AdSense. If I were actively pursuing a new job, I might consider buying a premium LinkedIn subscription, though I feel that the platform is suited to careers that rely on heavy networking, such as sales.
Information professionals, including middle and high school teachers, should teach digital literacy as it relates to the monetization of social media. Users should be aware of the methods that social media platforms use to entice and persuade viewers. Has your library considered offering a program on social media?
Reference
Sun, Y. (n.d.). Social Media Audience and Platforms: Who is Using What and Why it Matters. LIS 558 OA1: Social Media. https://ublearns.buffalo.edu/d2l/le/content/319934/viewContent/5030600/View
Hi Maude, thank you for a terrific take on such a new topic of navigation for us librarians in a social media oriented, and now data-driven advertising interactions! A someone who has similarly seen posts on facebook of an actual post exclaiming their attempt at privacy terms, I've always wondered how this type of information process and cycle worked as a parallel dissemination process. I think your point on teaching digital literacy as it relates to the monetization of social media, a very real chapter to the book of our use of it, is incredibly essential to the work, and to ours. Great share!
ReplyDeleteHi Maude, I think library programming centered around social media would be an excellent idea! I could see librarians hosting workshops on the positives: how to improve your social media presence and get the most out of each platform, and the negatives: how to protect your data privacy and navigate ads and other distracting monetized content.
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