Skip to main content

WTF, Internet? Facebook thinks it knows me … and it’s so, so wrong

WTF, Internet? Facebook thinks it knows m
Image used with permission by copyright holder

I’m in my mid-twenties and without a doubt the longest relationship I’ve had is with Facebook. Seriously. Zero breakups. What can I say, I’m a commitment kind of girl. I never even threw one of those “I’m quitting Facebook!” fits – not even the kind where you temporarily cancel your account because there’s some sort of huge work or school situation and you’re so weak you can’t make yourself stop looking at your cousin’s vacation pictures or clicking through your crush’s Timeline (do not like that photo from 2007! Do not!) but then you hop back on as soon as you can, like the obsessive little Internet addict you are.

The point is, you’d think after eight long years, Facebook might know a little bit about me. But nooooo. Oh no. Because this is what it thinks I’m interested in.

fb lysol babyYeah, kids are crazy, right? Man, do they get messy. I know this because of my children I have seen a human child before. End of my interactions with children, and my need to keep things clean for them. I can’t think of any time I’ve done any sort of search for cleaning products or anything kid-related. I know this says something about me and I’m OK with that. Also, am I the only one who sort of cringes at the word “healthing”? What the hell is that?

kids bounty fb adOh good, more kids-related stuff. Dropping hints, are we? What are you, my mom? Lay off, Facebook. I HAVE PLENTY OF TIME. 

fb ads taxesOr this. I guess since I’m a person with a job I do taxes. And we’re nearing April. OK, OK I’ll give you this one Facebook. But it sort of feels like when someone gives you flowers that they got for free anyway that day. “Oh … yeah! Yeah these are for you! This was absolutely planned in advance with you and only you in mind! Enjoy!” Not buying it.

fb ads homeThanks for reminding me I don’t have a home to keep a to-do list for. I live in a tiny studio apartment. People over 5-foot-10 are not allowed to rent it. I would do some unspeakable things to have a house and say things like “Whew! Man! All the upkeep on this home thing, pretty rough, amiright?” Not the case.

fb geico adSeriously?! I ALREADY HAVE GEICO. YOU DON’T KNOW ME AT ALL.

fb roof adOh good. Roof replacement. Maybe I could fix the Hobbit-level roof of my apartment. Except it’s a basement unit. Fan. Tastic.

video fb adI cannot think of anything I could care less about than video monitoring for my nonexistent small business. I’m going to try. No … nope, nothing. I actually don’t think I can care less.

flowers ad fb… Uh. I have never searched for or bought flowers online. So I just don’t know.

fb adI barely pay to get my haircut – actually, I don’t. I cut it myself. Seriously. What on earth would make you think I would pay to laser off hair? I can’t think of anything I would be less likely to pay for. Except maybe a new roof. Or flowers with some B.S. rustic charm (which to me, just sounds like “crappy”) vase. Or video surveillance for my small business. Also, “tired of shaving”? How tired do you have to be to be tired of shaving? You must be pretty exhausted. You must have just run marathons. Or maybe you’re a sloth. A ridiculously lazy sloth. Get this noise out of here. 

fb ad dollar shaveAnd here it is. The cream of the crop. An ad for the Dollar Shave Club … which is a monthly subscription for men to try and test new razors. 

Are you kidding me?! Is this because I thought the laser hair removal ad was stupid (I stand by that, but …)? Because the opposite of laser hair removal is not a men’s razor subscription. 

Just go home, Facebook, you’re drunk. 

Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened
An Instagram profile on an iPhone.

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.

Read more
Here’s how to delete your YouTube account on any device
How to delete your YouTube account

Wanting to get out of the YouTube business? If you want to delete your YouTube account, all you need to do is go to your YouTube Studio page, go to the Advanced Settings, and follow the section that will guide you to permanently delete your account. If you need help with these steps, or want to do so on a platform that isn't your computer, you can follow the steps below.

Note that the following steps will delete your YouTube channel, not your associated Google account.

Read more
How to download Instagram photos for free
Instagram app running on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Instagram is amazing, and many of us use it as a record of our lives — uploading the best bits of our trips, adventures, and notable moments. But sometimes you can lose the original files of those moments, leaving the Instagram copy as the only available one . While you may be happy to leave it up there, it's a lot more convenient to have another version of it downloaded onto your phone or computer. While downloading directly from Instagram can be tricky, there are ways around it. Here are a few easy ways to download Instagram photos.

Read more