What kind of ads or 'suggested' content gets pushed to you the most on the internet? Make up your new identity based on the ad/suggested content you get served the most.

Algorithm(s) thinks I'm a menopausal Latina woman who loves cats, and wants to drive a truck/SUV. I also get a ton of of the 'is your boyfriend/husband abusing you?' type of therapy-talk content, which is hilarious.

Most of my ads are for menstrual products and std/hormone pharma drugs, then it's a mix of cat/pet product ads and lots of truck/suv ads. At least 1/3 are in spanish.

Only one of these that is remotely accurate is I do have a cat.

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[–] 25 points 3 days ago

It's been so long since I've seen a tailored ad.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 days ago

    None. I never see ads on the internet.

    Curious where you see them and interact in such a way as to build a profile. In other words what do you think is harvesting most of your data?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 day ago

    I don't usually see ads but when i do it's whatever I last searched on aliexpress. On YouTube its most NZ government/council announcements or local companies. But I already follow government updates so they are a wasted spend.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 days ago

    I don't see a ton of ads, but when they get through, it's often something I recently purchased. I'm pretty sure my bank or the merchants are selling my transaction info but why they want to advertise to someone who already made a purchase I don't know. It's not even necessarily expensive purchases I would research online (though it can be). I had it happen with a 50ml bottle of Vodka. I bought it and when I got home the ad-overlords started spamming me with ads for the brand.

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  • [–] 8 points 3 days ago*

    Hank Hill, apparently.

    I don't use Facebook and use all the ad blockers, but apparently I'm still tracked by IP.

    When my SO and I started dating, he hooked to my wifi one day and immediately started getting ads on Facebook for various lawn care products. He'd never had those come up before, lived in an apartment all his adult life, and has never searched for any kind of gardening supplies.

    I, on the other hand, do have a lawn that I take care of and frequently shop for various landscaping stuff. But he gets the ads for them.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 days ago

    I’d rather not reinforce it by typing it out.

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  • [–] 5 points 2 days ago (1 child)

    For a while, Gmail was giving me targeted ads for suicide cleanup services. Something about my activity screamed : this dude's about to off himself, but wants to be courteous about it."

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  • [–] 2 points 2 days ago

    My work account once got placed on a biotech mailing list so there's that

    Outside of work accounts, I don't think the algorithms think I exist lol. I use adblockers everywhere, and the only site with real ad-targeting I routinely use is YouTube... which I exclusively use on private windows while logged out, and with adblockers as well. Mayyybe YouTube/Google thinks there's a weirdo Japanese weaboo (which is only half-correct) living around the vicinity of my house based on my IP address, but that's pretty much it

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  • [–] 5 points 3 days ago

    No idea, I'm quite successful at avoiding the ads, whatever the algorithm thinks it doesn't reach me.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 days ago*

    I use ad blockers and still also go out of my way to disable personalized ads when given the option. The algorithm on YouTube keeps showing me stuff I've seen and had engagement with in the "new to you" section. I did use it's AI search thing once and got exactly the kind of content I wanted, but the algorithm still barely mixes that content into my FYP.

    I don't think it knows a damn thing about me. Which is typical... Nobody understands me. Not even evil mechanisms built specifically to understand me so it can also exploit me. 😔

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  • [–] 5 points 3 days ago

    I have no idea, I never see ads, apart from when I'm shopping online and can't avoid them. Then, I treat the online store the same way I treat a brick and mortar store--get what I want, and get out. No browsing.

    They probably have a pretty accurate model of me, though. They know what I buy.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 days ago

    I block ads on pretty well everything, but my IG algo has me down pat. I actually jokingly blame it for my leftist radicalization (though really, that started when I first listened to Shakira sing about corrupt capitalists when I was like 6 years old).

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  • [–] 3 points 2 days ago

    I have ads blocked. I have no idea what lies they are trying to tell me. My suggestions in pretty much the only place I use that has them, unfortunately, are mostly things I have already seen or reposts of those things.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 days ago

    I have adblockers, encrypted DNS, a hardened browser, and a pi hole, so I don't see many ads.

    Because I mod fps games, I'm constantly researching firearms, ammunition, and armor, so my algorithm pushes chud shit at me like Garand Thumb and a bunch of those bearded loud mouths with tattoos and a bad attitude who like to yell ignorant and inflammatory opinions. Honestly, I get the vibe those channels exist mostly to convince people to buy shit.

    Since I work on my own car, I also research cars a lot, so I get recommend those channels. Some of them I ended up liking.

    My algorithm must think I'm an old single man with money and a non-working dick because (the very few times I do see ads) I get ads for boner pills, hot MILFs in my area, and gambling sites.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

    Hard to tell. Ads are blocked almost everywhere. No other social media really, only FB messenger, YT and Lemmy. Lemmy doesn't have any algorithm. FB is just the messenger part. So just YT algorithm to go on. Based on YT, it's a mix of gym content, little bit of nutrition, physiology, PC tech, Warhammer, some gaming and sexual functioning (both physical and psychological side of it), so kinda accurate as those are the subjects I'm keeping an eye on intentionally.

    Too mixed list to make up any identity.

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  • I have decent ad blocker although, I do wanna make a Pi-hole. So I don't see much. What I do see is generally things on like Amazon or whatever that are suggested. But it's mostly house stuff since i just moved.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 days ago

    Apparently I need Ketamine.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 days ago

    Ads? On YouTube? Is that a thing?

    But going by the suggested videos, it thinks I’m a political analyst who is really into hot sauce. And what British high schoolers think of American fast food.

    All of my suggested videos are from Brian Tyler Cohen, and pod save America, and David Pakman, etc… And the weekly hot ones videos. And those funny videos about what British high schoolers think about trying Arby’s or Five Guys for the first time.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 days ago

    I don't see a lot of targeted ads but when I do, which is during online shopping, it's mostly the male equivalent of what my wife buys on Instagram. I feel it tends to miss my tastes. The Google feed on my phone is a little better but I never use it so anything I've accidentally clicked on when putting it in my wet pockets (the only time I've ever clicked anything there but it happens a lot in the summer) is way overrepresented.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 days ago

    Most are irrelevant, some assume I'm going back to college

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  • [–] 1 point 3 days ago

    Spanish-bilingual middle-aged eunuch who loves woodworking, webcomics, and high-end kitchenware.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 days ago*

    In the early days of social media Facebook especially but most profiles I had the ability to access believed I was a gay man to the point of Facebook serving me tons of ads for gay men and trying to get me to gay marry my husband, I’m a straight woman, although I apparently also fool a lot of humans who think I’m a man online too. I mostly stay offline these days and don’t use social media anymore

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  • [–] 1 point 3 days ago

    I buy stuff online so I think I am probably profiled pretty accurately.

    But judging strictly by the ads, I am so very sick. So many drug ads for diseases I don't have, many I've never heard of. Or maybe a prescriber of drugs as I get some ads targeted at doctors selling drugs to patients.

    The rest are random as far as I can tell - I just opened Yahoo to see and it's been car insurance, drugs, drugs, crayons, personal loans, phone plans, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, more car insurance, toothpaste, groceries, mens spray deodorant, and again, so many drugs. And Bank of America, there is no way those fuckers would pay for me to see their ad if they knew me.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 days ago

    Litter boxes, bars, concert venues, yarn crafts, travel, gardening, bernie, and Talarico - so, yeah, pretty accurate.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 days ago

    My YouTube algorithm feed is 40% World war 2 content, 40% football (soccer) content, 10% clips from my favourite TV shows like Peep show and IT Crowd, 5% gaming videos, and 5% random meme shit.

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  • [–] 0 points 2 days ago

    I don't even look at ads on the "general internet" and this is the only social media I still have which has no algorithm. But if I check the home page of services I use…

    Tap for groceries app

    • Coconut water
    • Yoghurt
    • Almond milk
    • Herbal tea
    • Canned tuna
    • Hemp seeds
    • Low carb protein powder

    Pretty accurate of my habits I suppose. But it also has some shit I've literally never bought because it's too much sugar for my 'beetus.

    • Protein bars
    • Dark chocolate
    • Wraps
    • Ginger beer
    • Frozen Mac and cheese
    • Arrowroot biscuits

    Tap for YouTube

    • How to ditch your phone
    • Hugging face hacked
    • Hades 2 metal cover
    • A guide to build muscle
    • Hamster playing a harmonica
    • Why young people are getting colon cancer
    • Ocarina of Time randomiser but all enemies move at 2x speed
    • Common Moon physics mistakes

    The algo really has no idea what I actually like so it just throws random shit at me. The OoT rando I might watch maybe but generally I don't bother with the home page and use my subscriptions tab. Shoutout to ZFG on YouTube.

    Tap for crunchyroll

    • Digimon adventures (ugh)
    • Spy x Family
    • Atelier Ryza
    • Blade runner blackout
    • Knights of sidonia
    • Kaguya sama love is war
    • Horimiya
    • Ouran high school host club
    • Chainsaw man

    Kind of a rollercoaster of genres… but not totally inaccurate to my tastes

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