Yay!

Overly enthusiastic title, I kno. But, I really did enjoy the readings this week. I was familiar with quite a few things that were discussed, but it was nice to get other perspectives and learn in the process. I found the reading especially fascinating because I work in search marketing and am around these concepts all day. THE CONTENT. THE LINKS. LINKS LINKS LINKS.

Anyway, I've always been fascinated by consumer behavior. However, I'm a bit iffy about personalized search. Eli voices these concerns quite nicely in his TED Talk video. Sure, with personalization we get what Google thinks we want, and it may indeed be what we want. But are we missing out on items that would otherwise take us in new directions? When results are based on our activity, what our friends like, etc. are we being denied hidden treasures out there that may uncover passions we never knew we had?

I think the bit about buying on impulse or after being reminded is all too true. I am reminded I need something if I see it at the store and also if it shows up in one of those targeted ads online. It's easy to forget when I shop at a store - I always tell myself if I haven't forgotten about something I didn't purchase in a week or two, then I will get it. I usually always forget. When it comes to the internet, forgetting isn't so easy.

It does get a little overwhelming (and sad) at times when the pair of shoes I want but don't need is splashed across the screen every time I open a new window. The products almost speak to me - "buy me, buy me!" - and, well, sometimes I do. Sometimes an email or a targeted ad brings something to my mind I would have forgotten about otherwise. +1 advertisers/businesses, -1 Alyssa's bank account.

I do, however, belong to the large group of people who enjoy the "watch instantly" feature on Netflix and the suggestions given. I've watched a lot of great movies I probably never would have found otherwise. Back to my earlier point, does this mean I might be missing something? Perhaps. I think a good way to counter the problem would be to offer a "random movie/search/etc." generator that is completely unbiased (if that's even possible nowadays). Kind of like StumbleUpon, except you don't pick your preferences and the results aren't based on "thumbs up or downs" or any other type of voting/feedback. If you don't like the random suggestions, you always can return to the targeted ones.