Rumors that Facebook is listening in on our conversations have been around for some time, but they’ve finally gained some serious momentum. It all started with a YouTube video and has since spread to Reddit where people are sharing uncanny encounters.
One user claims he never searched for cat food online, yet he saw an advertisement after talking about it with his wife.
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What is the Frequency Illusion?
Have you ever come across a novel, song, or phrase and it started appearing everywhere? This phenomenon is known as the frequency illusion.
The frequency illusion is one of those subconscious biases or illusions we all experience but rarely label. In 1994, a man by the username “Gigetto on Lincoln” wrote to the St. Paul Pioneer Press describing this phenomenon as the “Baader-Meinhof effect.”
Frequency illusion is an intriguing cognitive bias that has potential for communications and marketing. Marketers can use it to build customer recognition by keeping their products and services top of mind. By employing multiple channels with a consistent message, brands can successfully leverage this bias in order to win more business.
Why is Facebook Listening to Us?
One of the most widespread conspiracy theories surrounding Facebook is that it listens to your smartphone’s microphone, picking up key words during private conversations and serving you ads based on that data. This explains why many people experience an odd sense of synchronicity when they see an ad that matches something said previously.
But if it is true, Facebook would be monitoring you 24/7. That’s an enormous commitment.
Facebook or other tech companies have not been the first to snoop on users; in fact, both Apple and Google have done it before.
Recently, security researcher David Cobb conducted an experiment which demonstrated how it’s possible for a smartphone to spy on its own users’ conversations without them knowing it. This theory has since been corroborated by other examples in technology like a malware leak which could turn phones and TVs into listening devices.
Is Facebook Listening to Our Conversations?
Conspiracy theorists have long maintained that Facebook secretly taps your phone’s microphone to listen in on conversations. It is believed this data allows the social media platform to serve ads tailored to your interests and profile information.
But if this were true, they’re violating the Wiretap Act – which is the law for listening in on conversations. Additionally, one lawyer believes this could expose the company to significant liabilities if caught spying on its users.
Facebook has made a point to dispel these falsehoods by clarifying that it does not use your microphone to record conversations for ads.
Facebook’s ad targeting algorithms do require some degree of active listening. They analyze vast amounts of person data to decide when you should see an ad for fried chicken, for instance.
What is the Solution?
Facebook users have been vocal about their recently compromised accounts, with many going through the same process: deleting old photos, posts and messages and waiting for new ones to arrive in their inbox. One person even went so far as to purchase a virtual reality headset in an effort to restore their account! A quick search of Reddit or Twitter revealed many others who shared similar frustration with the social network’s response time. So what’s the solution? Ultimately it comes down to patience; even with all its shortcomings, Facebook still has an avid following so it’s worth waiting; use it as a platform for sharing rather than consumption!
