Invisible advertising is coming to a web page near you.

So very connected we are becoming on the web by joining social networks, communities, groups, boards, IM clients (like the infectious 'twitter') and other software services that our personal data is being spread to more databases and sites than ever before. This information that we give up each time when we register for one of these services was thought to be JUST info, is really about some VERY personal data mining of each individual, which in the end is not a bad thing.

This data mining will make advertising become invisible over time, which is what we really want anyway. Advertising that is directly targeted to each of us becomes just information. The ad becomes 'invisible'.

We complain about ads and commercials, but won't when they don't appear like ads and commercials. The only way TV could do this for us is with humor. See a really clever and funny ad on TV and you don't mind. The web can do this with data. The more data it collects on what we read, view, places we travel to, products we purchase and media we watch, the easier it becomes to tailor advertisements personally.


I must have signed up for somewhere between 20-40 or maybe even more, different web services over the last few years. Some have faded away, some still exist, some I don't use anymore and some I use all the time. For each of these, I have had to place the same information into their registrations fields many, many times. When I don't use the service anymore, sometimes I just don't visit the site and sometimes I go back and try to delete my account. More often than not, I can close the account, but all of my personal data still lives in that sites database.

We are moving towards being allowed to 'own' our data. To be in control of where is gets sent to and when it doesn't get sent. Change something about my personal details, habits, likes, etc. and it changes across all 'services' I use (or ones I can choose to change). This issue of data 'control' will allow advertisers to reach me in a more personal direct way. Ultimately making it simply sending me or exposing me to their information - or something I really might find useful.