Advertising

It is true that consumers are becoming less and less in control of their privacy. Cookies, and other new technological advances, are monitoring what one does; even collecting information about people without their knowledge if they do not know about cookies (Greengard). Being born into a society that has already been placing cookies into electronics makes them unaware because it has become so common for everyone else. By advertising agency’s using cookies, the agency’s can learn what websites or televisions channels and times would be best to broadcast their advertisements.

 Advertising industries using things like cookies can monitor what time people are home, where their favorite stores are, and even favorite internet sights, to find out what the best time would be or place to sponsor their advertisements. By using cookies, advertising agencies are technically taking polls from people without their knowledge. When finished, the agencies know what internet sights a person has been on and what television channels they have watched and at what times. This gives agencies the advantage to post similar advertisements on internet sights they have views, or broadcast commercials on channels and times pertaining connections. Deciding how commercials to make the commercials, comes from the idea of status quo.

 Advertisements do contain this idea of a status quo. The status quo has mainly interpreted women as people that are suppose to take care of the house and the family, while the men watch sports, perform daring tasks, and do laborious work. This gives advertisements an idea on how to make their commercials appeal to whatever age group, race, or sex they choose. By using cookies, this status quo is kept updated, following what men and women buy, along with following what times they come home and what is being watched.

 Advertising is becoming both harmful and positive; however, the positive is greater than the negative. Invading a person’s right to privacy by using cookies, especially since many do not know about them, has become the negative side. The positive side, however, is that advertising company’s are able to advertise products that are more likely to interest the person instead of making them watch advertisements containing information having nothing to do with what they like.