Every once in a while it really hits home how powerful technology is. And how omnipresent. A few weeks ago I bought some hair color product or other at CVS (don't think I'm giving any secrets away here). Today in the mail I got a free sample of shampoo and conditioner from CVS. Not just any shampoo and conditioner though. That would be unremarkable and above suspicion. No, these samples were specifically for brunettes! Man, those little bar codes coupled with that little key chain frequent buyer card tell the world, or in this case CVS and anyone they care to share the information with, a lot about us. Not too sure how I feel about that. The cash register tells some computer, the computer stores a profile of your buying habits and voila! free sample tailored to my needs. It's amazing and a bit disconcerting. While I'm pretty sure no actual human was involved in this exchange of information other than some computer programmers, still, my hair coloring habits are on record somewhere. Hope the fact that I'm kind of fickle about my hair color doesn't blow a fuse somewhere.
Not sure how I feel about all this. Who doesn't love a free sample in the mail? But do I really want CVS keeping track of my personal needs? It's convenient of course but I think I prefer to be a little mysterious about the more intimate details of my life. Not that there are many. But they're mine. And anyway CVS is the least of it. Yikes! how much information do we give out over the internet and how secure is it, really? I'm not much of a privacy freak but do I want CVS and Land's End and Target and Amazon anticipating my needs before the actual humans in my life do? It's weird.
Technology. It really is powerful. Maybe Waldbaum's will send me a steak!
1 comment:
I know what you mean. And yes you can get a free steak from waldbaums!! Not that they new I needed it but I spent a certain amount of money on certain products and i received a free 10$ coupon for any meat product!! Wow was it nice but I never thought of cvs that way. It's kind of weird to think they track your buying but I guess that's how they figure supply and demand!! I never get free samples, and I do like them too!!
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