Reads: Targeted Advertising, China's Problem & More
[A wrap up of some of the interesting reads from across the Web.]
What Does It Really Matter If Companies Are Tracking Us Online? - The Atlantic
Let's face it. We can't escape ads. They are here to stay. So if we, as consumers, are to be put up with ads anyway, then why not make it relevant at least? That seems to be the mantra of Internet giants like Google, Facebook and Twitter, whose main revenues come from advertising. But what if ads turn out to exploit your consumerist vulnerabilities? With some of us being impulsive buyers (myself for books), is targeted advertising a boon or bane? Check out this article from The Atlantic.
Digital marketing techniques haven't quite gotten sophisticated enough to take advantage of a consumer's idiosyncratic irrationalities. Right now, he writes, digital advertising's main strategy is relevance: putting the relevant ad in front of the right person. But Calo foresees a much more personalized approach down the road -- not just the right good, but a customized pitch, delivered late at night, when the company knows you, particularly, have a tendency to make impulse purchases. >>
China’s one-child policy could be causing its trillion-dollar housing boom—and its eventual bust - Quartz
China has a problem, and that's its one-child policy. Enforced into law in 1979 as a means to curb population explosion, it has not only shrunk the country's workforce, it has also left the bachelors with a peculiar problem: their inability to find a suitor for themselves. With mothers of most brides insisting their grooms have a house of their own, housing prices have skyrocketed making it virtually impossible to afford a home in the nation. Is this a bubble waiting to burst?
Even in rural areas, Zhang and his colleagues found farmers aggressively investing in homes for their sons, usually either because a local matchmaker said they needed to if they wanted to attract a wife, or because of rising local “bride prices,” the reverse-dowry that grooms must pay.
“If the matchmaker tells them they need to build a taller house, they make it a little bit taller than neighbors,” says Zhang. “Families are building two-story or three-story houses, but if you go to second or third floor, there’s no furniture at all—it’s only to show off their wealth… to make sure their son will get married.” >>
The wealthy 'make mistakes', the poor go to jail - The Guardian
Some are born rich, both in terms of wealth and opportunities. Some are denied both. Who's to blame? Is it the society? Chris Arnade, who quit his Wall Street job to photograph drug addicts in New York City, contrasts the lives of a wealthy bank trader and a homeless prostitute in this compelling piece.
Yes, it is like comparing apples and oranges. That is the point though. We have built two very different societies with two very different sets of values. Takeesha was born into a world with limited opportunities, one where the black market has filled the void. In her world transgressions are resolved via violence, not lawyers. The law as applied to her is simple and stark, with little wiggle room.
Mr one-glove was born into a world with many options. The laws of his land are open for interpretation, and with the right lawyer one can navigate in the vast grey area and never do anything wrong. The rules are often written by and for Mr one-glove and his friends. >>
One story, two sides - The Hindu
History can be distorted at times. After all, what we learn in History during our schools and colleges is just a written account of events that happened in the past. This subjectivity aside, what's happening in India and Pakistan is something different; the school textbooks here paint a different picture of the same historical events. The History Project, formed by three young Pakistanis Qasim Aslam, Ayyaz Ahmad and Zoya Siddiqui, is now attempting to correct this shared past with its first history textbook.
What Ahmad refers to here is how young students are easily influenced and often adopt ideas and beliefs without questioning them. This led the team to examine the way history and historical accounts affect the shaping of an entire generation.
Zoya Siddiqui, the illustrator, says that the book, surprisingly, hasn't faced any resistance in either Indian or Pakistani schools. “We've seen shock, surprise, curiosity and even amusement, but not unwillingness to learn. In fact, it’s safe to say that we've achieved our goal in initiating a dialogue. There haven’t been any reactions. Rather, there have been ‘responses’, which is very positive.” >>
Neil deGrasse Tyson isn't falling for 'Gravity' - The Verge
Sci-fi thriller Gravity definitely warrants a full-screen experience, but the near-perfect movie is not without its flaws. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson took to Twitter to explain what he thought the movie got it wrong, and then in a Facebook post complimented what the movie got scientifically right!
While agreeing that some sort of artistic licence is necessary for the sake of narrative tension, the inaccuracies, though a tad minor, are glaring indeed. But they won't stop you from enjoying the movie either (one of the reasons I chose not to dwell on this aspect in my review).
What Does It Really Matter If Companies Are Tracking Us Online? - The Atlantic
Let's face it. We can't escape ads. They are here to stay. So if we, as consumers, are to be put up with ads anyway, then why not make it relevant at least? That seems to be the mantra of Internet giants like Google, Facebook and Twitter, whose main revenues come from advertising. But what if ads turn out to exploit your consumerist vulnerabilities? With some of us being impulsive buyers (myself for books), is targeted advertising a boon or bane? Check out this article from The Atlantic.
Digital marketing techniques haven't quite gotten sophisticated enough to take advantage of a consumer's idiosyncratic irrationalities. Right now, he writes, digital advertising's main strategy is relevance: putting the relevant ad in front of the right person. But Calo foresees a much more personalized approach down the road -- not just the right good, but a customized pitch, delivered late at night, when the company knows you, particularly, have a tendency to make impulse purchases. >>
China’s one-child policy could be causing its trillion-dollar housing boom—and its eventual bust - Quartz
China has a problem, and that's its one-child policy. Enforced into law in 1979 as a means to curb population explosion, it has not only shrunk the country's workforce, it has also left the bachelors with a peculiar problem: their inability to find a suitor for themselves. With mothers of most brides insisting their grooms have a house of their own, housing prices have skyrocketed making it virtually impossible to afford a home in the nation. Is this a bubble waiting to burst?
Even in rural areas, Zhang and his colleagues found farmers aggressively investing in homes for their sons, usually either because a local matchmaker said they needed to if they wanted to attract a wife, or because of rising local “bride prices,” the reverse-dowry that grooms must pay.
“If the matchmaker tells them they need to build a taller house, they make it a little bit taller than neighbors,” says Zhang. “Families are building two-story or three-story houses, but if you go to second or third floor, there’s no furniture at all—it’s only to show off their wealth… to make sure their son will get married.” >>
The wealthy 'make mistakes', the poor go to jail - The Guardian
Some are born rich, both in terms of wealth and opportunities. Some are denied both. Who's to blame? Is it the society? Chris Arnade, who quit his Wall Street job to photograph drug addicts in New York City, contrasts the lives of a wealthy bank trader and a homeless prostitute in this compelling piece.
Yes, it is like comparing apples and oranges. That is the point though. We have built two very different societies with two very different sets of values. Takeesha was born into a world with limited opportunities, one where the black market has filled the void. In her world transgressions are resolved via violence, not lawyers. The law as applied to her is simple and stark, with little wiggle room.
Mr one-glove was born into a world with many options. The laws of his land are open for interpretation, and with the right lawyer one can navigate in the vast grey area and never do anything wrong. The rules are often written by and for Mr one-glove and his friends. >>
One story, two sides - The Hindu
History can be distorted at times. After all, what we learn in History during our schools and colleges is just a written account of events that happened in the past. This subjectivity aside, what's happening in India and Pakistan is something different; the school textbooks here paint a different picture of the same historical events. The History Project, formed by three young Pakistanis Qasim Aslam, Ayyaz Ahmad and Zoya Siddiqui, is now attempting to correct this shared past with its first history textbook.
What Ahmad refers to here is how young students are easily influenced and often adopt ideas and beliefs without questioning them. This led the team to examine the way history and historical accounts affect the shaping of an entire generation.
Zoya Siddiqui, the illustrator, says that the book, surprisingly, hasn't faced any resistance in either Indian or Pakistani schools. “We've seen shock, surprise, curiosity and even amusement, but not unwillingness to learn. In fact, it’s safe to say that we've achieved our goal in initiating a dialogue. There haven’t been any reactions. Rather, there have been ‘responses’, which is very positive.” >>
Neil deGrasse Tyson isn't falling for 'Gravity' - The Verge
Sci-fi thriller Gravity definitely warrants a full-screen experience, but the near-perfect movie is not without its flaws. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson took to Twitter to explain what he thought the movie got it wrong, and then in a Facebook post complimented what the movie got scientifically right!
While agreeing that some sort of artistic licence is necessary for the sake of narrative tension, the inaccuracies, though a tad minor, are glaring indeed. But they won't stop you from enjoying the movie either (one of the reasons I chose not to dwell on this aspect in my review).
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