The Mind Reader
by Craig Willms
I have over the last couple of years been astonished by the width and depth of the surveillance and data gathering by Google, Facebook, YouTube, Microsoft etc, etc as we use the Internet. I realize that it is not a weird coincidence when we are presented with something, a product or a topic we've been talking about with family and friends. We've all seen it, shortly after the conversation we see it on our YouTube or news feed. Our phones or smart TVs are obviously listening to us. It is eerie and more than a bit concerning, but it's to be expected in this modern paradigm we find ourselves in. Not that it's right, but we have to accept it as reality. We would need to stop using these tools and applications if we want it to end.
I wondered how far can it go, can they read our thoughts? So, I tried an experiment. I thought about something over the past few days, a certain restaurant that I haven't been to in several years. Just thoughts, no searching, no conversations. It's a place my wife has never been to, and it would never have been uttered in the house at any time. This morning in my YouTube feed there it was. Yes, my mind is blown.
Not sure how it was possible. I have never ever seen this in my YouTube feed before. I have a hard time believing it was random. You tell me how this could happen. Coincidence?