Clickbait

Humanity has reduced itself to Clickbait. That's what we all are to each other these days in our online world.

Take these four examples I took from one major respected "news" website just this morning:

..."Woman says police forced her to give birth while shackled to bed".

..."Woman nearly lost lip after getting fillers at Botox party."

..."Gwen says Blake ruined it."

..."Salamander grows Christmas Trees out of its head"

They are just dying for you to click and see "the rest of the story". If you are online on various websites during the day you will see Clickbait constantly. This is what society is reduced to in our modern online world. Targeted marketing and Clickbait is the new door to door salesman of years gone by. They can't wait for you to click on it to see why the poor woman had to give birth while shackled to a bed.

We are like fish in a pond with hooks of bait all around us waiting for us to bite.

Several things could happen after you click on any online story or advertisement but one thing you can count on, they are targeting you to sell you something. That something could be legitimate or it could be a nasty computer virus that collects your personal data and locks up your computer. Or, next thing you know the bank is calling to ask you if you are in Costa Rica and if you just bought pornography from an adult book store. What?? You ask incredulously! No I am not and no I didn't! Well, the bank says........ your card was just used.......but how, you ask? It happens the bank lady says. If you are online they get your personal data. Oh My God you think. What will criminals think of next?

Our cell phones ring off the hook with marketing robo calls, our cable tv's are inundated with advertising and marketing hooks, and every kind of lure is online both good and bad.

These days if you "like" something on Facebook or other sites on the internet you are dead meat for the advertising world. For evermore or until you "like" something else every web page you look at will be inundated with advertisements for that boot you know you want. Just click right here and buy it.

I especially worry for the elderly because the online world is really new to them and they don't understand that thieves are waiting for them. They absolutely believe they won that big lottery payout and they are happy to send the $500 to collect the $40 million. I heard a story from a friend who's grandmother keeps falling for it over and over and they've had to monitor her bank account. I guess the elderly think that the last guy was a thief but this one is legit.

We all discover how targeted we are in various ways. When I turned 65 I was suddenly inundated with Medicare and Supplement plan offers that I did not ask for and if that weren't bad enough how about these Depends? You know you need them. Or how about this hearing aid? You know you're going to need it. And not just in the mail but phone calls from all over the country too such as......ring ring......hello?....."just calling about that Medicare program you inquired about says the voice on the other end. I didn't inquire about a Medicare plan says I. Oh, well we have ........blah blah. No thanks I interrupt and please take me off your call list. Click.

Yeah sure. Not only am I not coming off that call list but I've been added to several more.

One thing that sincerely disappointed me was discovering that even the most reputable charity that you donated to sold your information and that is why you are receiving "free stuff" from every imaginable charity in existence and stacks of junk marketing in your mailbox every day when you get home from work. They know you aren't in good conscience going to keep that free blanket knitted by that poor Indian child without sending a donation. I admit I helped a few of them but that was a big mistake. Now that they have identified you as a gullible schmuck who falls for anything then they need more help and so do the Poor Childrens School down the road who also now have your address.

It seems everything in life has to be learned the hard way. No wonder people are so cynical. I get it now. I'm cynical too because I've fallen for almost every scam out there except for the Nigerian Prince who needs my help getting his millions that he's willing to share with me.

I am so tired of junk mail that I did not ask for that now I take out every free nickel, dime, blanket, pair of socks, Indian dream catcher and I either keep it or throw it away. I tried "return to sender" and the post office brings it back to me. Speaking of the post office, I was in there one day buying a stamp and I heard the postal workers talking to each other and one said "what did she expect? Us to return it for free?" That was my hint that "return to sender" is an old fashioned concept. They are probably sick to death of returning unwanted junk mail that they would just rather you throw it away.

Also on the subject of the post office some things they do don't make sense anymore. My adult son in the Navy was at my home for a week and had an important piece of mail sent to my house, which the post office sent back since it didn't have my name on it. The appalling thing is I have the same last name as my son so that was their hint that perhaps it was a family member. But the really galling thing is I get mail for people who haven't lived in my house for at least 20 years. So I can get their mail but I can't get mail for my son with the same last name as me.

I suppose all of this is called "progress". Hmmm.