Being Advertised To
A few years ago, I used Pinterest. These days, I hear Pinterest is full of AI slop, but back when I used it, it was "real" content.
My main goal in using Pinterest was improving my personal style. I was never really into fashion, but for some reason I've forgotten (end of quarantine? high school?) I wanted to change that. I had heard in the past that Pinterest was great for putting together vision/mood boards and aesthetics. I downloaded the app, made an account, and started consuming content. By a few weeks in, the algorithm had figured out my desired style: pastel cable knit sweaters, skirts, layered necklaces, vanilla scented products, natural (looking) makeup, and so much lip gloss.
At this point, most of my feed was pictures of products with the product source link attached. Not even pictures of people using the products. Just photos of the products in their packaging like you would see on a retail website. Interchangeable pictures of vanilla scented perfumes and pink sweaters on bedsheets, brands always clearly visible.
I scrolled this feed for hours per day. I considered it to be fun!
What I wore at the time was usually what was on sale at Costco. I never really paid attention to fashion or makeup trends, and I never wanted anything specific. Suddenly, my wishlist had never been longer, and I made a note in my Notes app with specific links to each thing I wanted, the exact brand, assigned priorities so I knew what to ask for first.
I'm not sure when I realized that I was willingly consuming advertising. I was being conditioned to ask for specific brands and products to maintain an "aesthetic", and it was clearly working. How could I possibly want something I had never seen in use, or in person, or never even read a single review?
When I realized this, it ruined my enjoyment of the feed.
I deleted the app, deleted my wishlist, and moved on. I wasted time I'll never get back, but I also learned to be a bit more discerning about the content I consumed.