It's Not a Sign, It's Good Advertising

Recently, in conversation with a friend it was mentioned that she/he/they saw something on Facebook. (Sorry, at this point I cannot for the life remember who I talked to about this or exactly what the finer points were.) They saw it as a sign, that maybe they should pursue something they had been thinking about. 

As a online marketer, I saw it as an algorithm. Wait..that doesn't sound cool. 

I saw it as the evolution of our business/marketing environment to provide catered, unique content.

A little fluffy, but better.

Isn't it funny though? Companies, search engines, and social medias have now become so advanced that we can now offer each individual person unique content and advertising. Somehow, the message hasn't been relayed to the general public. So now shopaholics, eager travelers and clueless elderly every day are thinking life/god/spaghetti monsters, are telling them to take that next step, "buy the stupid thing!"

We have all seen it. The people who can't stop talking about how they want to travel and suddenly they see Facebook ads about trips to Italy. Or the person who wants to diet all the time constantly seeing new programs. It really isn't a bad thing because now you don't have to sit through messages you don't care about. 

The next time you see a sign from life. Take a step back. Is it a sponsored Facebook post? Google advertising? Or do those Twitter cards seem oddly specific? If so, it is not a sign from life. It is good advertising.