The Man is Watching

So, I was just reading this other blog when I noticed a banner ad above the text offering low car insurance prices, in the town I'm in RIGHT NOW. And that's okay. I mean, I understand that ads can read my IP address and fill in the appropriate city. But then, right there in the ad, there WAS A PICTURE OF A MINI!

Now, I don't know if the MINI was chosen because it was a cool car, or if someone is targeting me . . . the idea with internet marketing (and probably all marketing) is that someday soon, we'll all only see ads that are exactly targeted to us, based on browsing history and searches and IP addresses. And in theory, that is kind of okay with me. I mean, privacy is pretty much gone when you get on the internet; I have no illusions.

But to actually see a targeted ad (if that's what it was) . . . well, my first reaction was HOW DO THEY KNOW THAT? Quite frankly, it freaked me out a little. I don't want everyone to know who I am, where I work, and what I drive. Years of stories about the End Times and the Mark of the Beast probably have something to do with my paranoia. But really, this can't be GOOD, can it?