Slice of Life: Modern Problems 2 of 31

Facebook is creepy.

Okay, I'm not telling you anything you don't know.  I'm convinced it listens to my every word.  If I talk about organizing a closet, BOOM:  closet organization.  If I tell my husband, we should start thinking about our next place to travel, BAM:  travel sites.  

It all began years ago with ads for anything I had searched.  I get that.  I didn't like it - well, until it showed me exactly what I was really looking for and couldn't find.  Soon I started noticing it was showing me items related to things I had texted.  Again, I really didn't like it, but I had a hunch how they were obtaining the information; maybe it was even coincidence.  However, it started to cross a line when I began to get ads for things we had talked about.  My family was skeptical at first, but then I started showing them some of the ads.  I took the app off all of my devices to reduce the occurrence.

I know you know what I'm talking about.  You've had it happen to you too.  

All that was awful, but now Facebook has really gone too far.  I think they've started to know what I'm thinking about.  I haven't figured out how they do it yet, but they seem to come up with ads that are related to things only I would know.  

This week I opened Facebook in my browser (because bye-bye app) to find a sign for sale that said, "I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck."  What the what???  This was something my grandma used to say/sing to us all the time growing up.  How did Facebook know?  This was crossing a line.  

Of course, this sent me down a rabbit hole to find origin of this phrase.  It appears it may come from a song that was later used in the musical "Guys and Dolls," though I must admit I can't help but think there is more to learn here.

Somehow Facebook manages to not only take me down shopping and informational rabbit holes, but it also now takes me strolling down memory lane as I thought about all the other little sayings I remember my grandma telling us: 

"A stitch in time, saves nine."

"A good dryer always gets what a good washer misses." (That saved a few arguments.)

"If you have faith in a mustard seed you have the strength to move mountains." (Roughly quoted from her words.)

"Fore-bumper, eye-winker, tom-tinker, nose-dropper, and gully, gully, gully." (Hey, whatever you have to do to get young kids to let you wash their face.)

Facebook.  Yep, creepy....but also a little interesting.  

It's March and I'm diving back into the March Slice of Life Challenge!  Buckle in!  This will be my 8th year joining the community (though I must confess to a two year break).  Yep, some of the writing will be messy.  Honestly, most of it will be messy.  Thanks for stopping by.  I'm excited to dive back into the madness.  Thanks to Two Writing Teachers for hosting.