Kentucky Woman Shares Christmas List of Bizarre Products From Facebook Ads

OK, so I have always heard that Facebook's suggested ads were inspired by your browsing history. Sometimes I've even wondered if my phone is listening to me based on products that have been recommended to me in the past. I worked at a local gift shop for several years, and the brands we carried there were ALWAYS in my newsfeed.

However, in the past few months, the ads being shown to me are...well...downright bizarre. I SWEAR to you I am not googling "pigs feet pillows" or "fake arms for chickens," nevertheless, those are the kinds of things Temu or Shein are trying to sell to me. Not to mention the fashions made for ladies of the night that I have no business trying to squeeze myself into. More power to those women who can pull off booty jorts with a thong in the back, but that ain't me! Yes, jorts, AKA jean shorts. Don't worry, keep scrolling to see the wild and wonderful products Facebook thinks I, Mary-Katherine Maddox, would want or need.

Why Have My Facebook Ads Gotten So Weird?

A study was done last year at North Carolina State University that showed 33% of these targeted ads are inaccurate or not of interest to the user. While Facebook does monitor posts to determine what you like which then determines ads you are shown, it does not take into consideration whether you actually like the product. You could post something about how much you like pizza or how much you dislike pizza (what kind of monster doesn't like pizza?) either way, you're gonna see an ad for pizza. If you're interested in learning more, these folks explain it much better than I can.

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I have also read that you can pick up a "rogue browser extension" somehow? I have no idea what that even means to begin to Google how to find that out, but that sounds like it may explain my predicament.

How to Change Ad Preferences on Facebook

According to Facebook, here's where you start.

• Click your profile picture in the top right of Facebook.
• Select Settings & privacy, then click Settings.
• Click Accounts Center, then click Ad preferences.

From there you can decide what you want to be shown, how often, and all that jazz.

For now, I think I will leave things as they are. I get a good laugh out of the crazy crap Facebook, Temu, Shein, and even Wal-mart try to sell me. Without further adieu...