This week’s reading discussed the media’s use of narrowcasting. Narrowcast media is media that have a limited range through which to reach audiences. The media is then capable of carrying programming tailored to audiences that are more specific than broadcast audiences. Sturken notes, “Since the 1980s consumers have increasingly been recognized by media producers as occupying smaller, niche audiences that must be addressed according to their specific tastes, interests, and language groups” (226). Subsequently in the 1990s, with the expansion of the home computer market and the rise of the Internet, people became actively engaged with their media. With text-based exchange such as email and forums allowing its users to upload images and post content, websites are able to use your personal information to aim information at you.
A perfect example of this is Facebook who uses their member’s information posted on their profiles to create ads specifically geared towards that user. For instance, on Facebook, I am in the NYU network. Since joining the NYU network last year, every time I log into my account, I see a bombardment of ads relating to NYU and New York City on the right side of my screen. Now, this is no coincidence. If I went to the University of Virginia, I’d probably see ads pertaining to their campus and events and restaurants in Charlottesville, VA. The reason behind this is because Facebook knows I attend NYU based on my network and they are then able to gear the advertisements that appear on my profile towards my needs and interests as a student in Manhattan.
An example of this is in the picture above. It shows two advertisements that appeared on my Facebook profile this morning – one is for discounts to restaurants in the city and another is for a hair salon where NYU students receive 20% off if they show their ID. It’s not just a twist of fate that these two ads were there; it is because Facebook was able to narrowcast the ads on my profile that were relevant to me.
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