When you write a post on Facebook about your sudden craving for blue cheese, an advertisement for gout prevention might suddenly pop up on your page. Post the phrase \u201cbacon tidbits,\u201d\u009d and you might get an ad for a book called \u201cForbidden Lessons in a Kabul Guesthouse.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
The robots are watching us. They\u2019re announcing to the world that we just looked at Eames chairs on Pinterest and that we\u2019ve listened to Taylor Swift and Conway Twitty on Spotify. They\u2019re sending us ads labeled \u201cBeing Conservative in South Carolina\u201d\u009d simply because we checked our e-mail in Charleston. They\u2019re broadcasting the fact that we just read an article called \u201cHow to Satisfy Your Partner in Bed.\u201d\u009d They\u2019re trumpeting \u201d\u201d with an undue amount of enthusiasm \u201d\u201d that we just scored 6 points on Words With Friends for making the word \u201ccat.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n