I don't see a lot of targeted ads but when I do, which is during online shopping, it's mostly the male equivalent of what my wife buys on Instagram. I feel it tends to miss my tastes. The Google feed on my phone is a little better but I never use it so anything I've accidentally clicked on when putting it in my wet pockets (the only time I've ever clicked anything there but it happens a lot in the summer) is way overrepresented.

I use ad blockers and still also go out of my way to disable personalized ads when given the option. The algorithm on YouTube keeps showing me stuff I've seen and had engagement with in the "new to you" section. I did use it's AI search thing once and got exactly the kind of content I wanted, but the algorithm still barely mixes that content into my FYP.

I don't think it knows a damn thing about me. Which is typical... Nobody understands me. Not even evil mechanisms built specifically to understand me so it can also exploit me. 😔

I don't even look at ads on the "general internet" and this is the only social media I still have which has no algorithm. But if I check the home page of services I use…

I block ads on pretty well everything, but my IG algo has me down pat. I actually jokingly blame it for my leftist radicalization (though really, that started when I first listened to Shakira sing about corrupt capitalists when I was like 6 years old).

I have ads blocked. I have no idea what lies they are trying to tell me. My suggestions in pretty much the only place I use that has them, unfortunately, are mostly things I have already seen or reposts of those things.

Most are irrelevant, some assume I'm going back to college

For a while, Gmail was giving me targeted ads for suicide cleanup services. Something about my activity screamed : this dude's about to off himself, but wants to be courteous about it."

It's been so long since I've seen a tailored ad.

Hank Hill, apparently.

I don't use Facebook and use all the ad blockers, but apparently I'm still tracked by IP.

When my SO and I started dating, he hooked to my wifi one day and immediately started getting ads on Facebook for various lawn care products. He'd never had those come up before, lived in an apartment all his adult life, and has never searched for any kind of gardening supplies.

I, on the other hand, do have a lawn that I take care of and frequently shop for various landscaping stuff. But he gets the ads for them.

No idea, I'm quite successful at avoiding the ads, whatever the algorithm thinks it doesn't reach me.

I have no idea, I never see ads, apart from when I'm shopping online and can't avoid them. Then, I treat the online store the same way I treat a brick and mortar store--get what I want, and get out. No browsing.

They probably have a pretty accurate model of me, though. They know what I buy.

Hard to tell. Ads are blocked almost everywhere. No other social media really, only FB messenger, YT and Lemmy. Lemmy doesn't have any algorithm. FB is just the messenger part. So just YT algorithm to go on. Based on YT, it's a mix of gym content, little bit of nutrition, physiology, PC tech, Warhammer, some gaming and sexual functioning (both physical and psychological side of it), so kinda accurate as those are the subjects I'm keeping an eye on intentionally.

Too mixed list to make up any identity.

Spanish-bilingual middle-aged eunuch who loves woodworking, webcomics, and high-end kitchenware.

Apparently I need Ketamine.

In the early days of social media Facebook especially but most profiles I had the ability to access believed I was a gay man to the point of Facebook serving me tons of ads for gay men and trying to get me to gay marry my husband, I’m a straight woman, although I apparently also fool a lot of humans who think I’m a man online too. I mostly stay offline these days and don’t use social media anymore

I buy stuff online so I think I am probably profiled pretty accurately.

But judging strictly by the ads, I am so very sick. So many drug ads for diseases I don't have, many I've never heard of. Or maybe a prescriber of drugs as I get some ads targeted at doctors selling drugs to patients.

The rest are random as far as I can tell - I just opened Yahoo to see and it's been car insurance, drugs, drugs, crayons, personal loans, phone plans, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, more car insurance, toothpaste, groceries, mens spray deodorant, and again, so many drugs. And Bank of America, there is no way those fuckers would pay for me to see their ad if they knew me.

Litter boxes, bars, concert venues, yarn crafts, travel, gardening, bernie, and Talarico - so, yeah, pretty accurate.

I have adblockers, encrypted DNS, a hardened browser, and a pi hole, so I don't see many ads.

Because I mod fps games, I'm constantly researching firearms, ammunition, and armor, so my algorithm pushes chud shit at me like Garand Thumb and a bunch of those bearded loud mouths with tattoos and a bad attitude who like to yell ignorant and inflammatory opinions. Honestly, I get the vibe those channels exist mostly to convince people to buy shit.

Since I work on my own car, I also research cars a lot, so I get recommend those channels. Some of them I ended up liking.

My algorithm must think I'm an old single man with money and a non-working dick because (the very few times I do see ads) I get ads for boner pills, hot MILFs in my area, and gambling sites.

My YouTube algorithm feed is 40% World war 2 content, 40% football (soccer) content, 10% clips from my favourite TV shows like Peep show and IT Crowd, 5% gaming videos, and 5% random meme shit.

Ads? On YouTube? Is that a thing?

But going by the suggested videos, it thinks I’m a political analyst who is really into hot sauce. And what British high schoolers think of American fast food.

All of my suggested videos are from Brian Tyler Cohen, and pod save America, and David Pakman, etc… And the weekly hot ones videos. And those funny videos about what British high schoolers think about trying Arby’s or Five Guys for the first time.