sorting it out

It occurred to me this morning that the web serves as a sorter for people. Like a coin sorter at the bank, lots of different types go in, and then fall into little slots that determine what type of coin it is. Keeping track of web surfer's visits and favorite sites do the same thing- they categorize us into groups according to interests. We are essentially doing the marketer's job for them- all filing into neat little lines that tell advertiser's how likely we are to be interested in their product or service. This is good in one way, b/c it cuts down on advertising we are not interested in, but terrible in that it allows them to focus a full-court press on what we might be likely to buy. It is true- everything comes down the almighty dollar. (or pesos or euros or yen…)