this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2023
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There are always a lot of reasons to see what we see on ads and suggestions without them having to listen to us. Try to do the test and talk about something completely random to you around your phone. Chances are you'll never get ads about it.
The algorithms are based on so many criterias and are so freaking good that it seems like the simplest answer is to listen to us. But with GPS, relationships, history, habits, emails/sms/messages, etc. it can be freaky how good the predictions can be. They are already "listening" in so many ways that are cheap to do, constant audio streaming is absolutely not cheap and not required.
Way too many people in this thread need to read up on cognitive biases. Frequency illusion would be a good place to start.
I once stopped in a gas station to get coffee, and instead of using brand names to refer to the sweetener, they used the colors: "yellow sweetener" for splenda, "blue sweetener" for equal, etc. It was weird to me, so I noticed. Later that day, I was on my flight and ordered coffee, and the flight attendant offered the sweetener using the same color coding instead of brand names. Weird, right? Then after I got to my destination, at the hotel, same thing!
The only logical conclusion isn't that our brains are wierd and stuff like this happens as a result of the way we categorize and remember information, but instead that I am in a Meta simulation and Zuckerberg is reading my thoughts.
Confirmation bias is a big one too!
True, that probably factors into this perception as well.