Friday, March 17, 2023

Downside of Being Connected

 I'm sure I'm not the only one who is finding I am bombarded by constant sales pitches.  My computer came with a trial of McAfee which is long over and never activated because I have Norton.  But almost every day while I'm off in Molly land, some ad pops up warning me of something if I don't activate McAfee.

Even though I have Norton, that doesn't mean they leave me alone.  They are always trying to sell more and usually by using some threat.  Again it pops up when I'm busy doing something else.  The worst is that  both the pop ups are difficult to close.  I finally discovered that with the MaAfee, I have to click on the icon on the top bar to close it.

I'm sure it's partly because I still use an AOL email account, but I spend most of the time deleting emails from some so-called news service  I never signed up for.  It's not once a day either, but they keep coming throughout the day.  And that doesn't account for the scams.  The invoices that are ridiculous.  As if a real one wouldn't be addressed to me by name.

Then there is the junk mailbox.  A real email gets in there just often enough that I have to look them over before I delete them.  

It isn't just the AOL account either.  I have a number of other email accounts including one for our family  business.  Somehow something called Colony Tire  started sending me emails about daily deals on tires.  There are daily sales pitches from a place  I ordered business gifts from once.  It has made me not want to ever use them again.

And heaven help you if you click on something being advertised on Facebook.  That company will haunt you forever.

My Apple watch has joined in and I'm endlessly getting notified of something that's not even important or often new.  Yes, I know you can shut off notifications and I have done it, only to have them start up again on their own.  It's all confusing how to change things and it always involves too much time and frustration.  So, I just try to ignore the vibration on my wrist.

There was a story on the news the other night how our smart phones track what we say and where we go.  I'm sure the companies hope you think it's a wonderful coincidence that you looked in the window of a shoe store and then you're getting ads for it. 

The scams are the worst.  I get almost one a day by text.  I know enough to ignore them, but I feel for those out there who believe they have to do something and click there way into a miasma of hell.

14 comments:

Patty said...

Good morning -- Other than being bombarded with junk texts and emails, I hope all is well with you. I keep getting that McAfee warning -- I've never had McAfee. I remember being at Raley's grocery with my daughter -- she had her phone but it wasn't turned on. After we'd checked out and used my credit card to pay the bill, she got a text thanking her for being in the store and hoping she'd buy all her groceries there!! My son and I were driving down a street here and a truck went by -- throwing up a rock and chipping the windshield. Just seconds later, he got a text from a company that repairs windshields!! I have what I call a dumb phone -- just a little flip phone for talk and text, and for years I didn't even realize I could text with it. Works well for me. I had a smart phone for a very short time -- way more than I need so I gave it to my grandson.

We had a pouring rain Wednesday evening -- got a good soaking. More was predicted for yesterday but didn't get a drop. All my patio plants enjoyed the moisture -- they look so good. A few of the succulents are starting to bloom -- very pretty. I've even seen a hummingbird flitting around.

I'm working on a ripple afghan -- deep reds, cream, grays and black -- first one in that pattern I've made in years. Other than having to weave in yarn ends every few rows, it's great fun.

Enjoy your day and the weekend -- hope Molly's adventures are coming along well.

Linda D Osborn said...

Oh how annoying McAfee can be. They have actually been able to lock up my computer completely I then found out it is necessary to shut the computer off and wait at least 15 minutes to turn back on. They write very threatening emails and pop ups.
Shopping is fun. You might look at a pair of shoes on line, and for days you get pop ups on Facebook. I guess it all adds some spice to life !!














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Miss Merry said...

Another thing that drives me crazy is when I research and MAKE THE PURCHASE. But for weeks afterward I see ads everywhere for the item and get emails trying to get me to purchase it. I want to yell, it's too late! I bought it! Leave me alone!

Betty Hechtman said...

Patty, I've heard that people are going back to flip phones. It's great that it works for you. That's really weird about the rock hitting the windshield and then getting an sales pitch from a place that fixes them. It sounds like you got just the right amount of rain.

Betty Hechtman said...

Linda Osborn, since my computer came with a trial of McAfee (which I never used) I thought if I uninstalled it, the ads would go away. It made no difference. It also bugs me how Microsoft keeps trying to bully me into upgrading to windows 11. My Apple watch and laptop are worse. They just upgrade when your stuff is charging or if you miss it, keep hounding you daily.

Betty Hechtman said...

Miss Merry, I guess they think it will make you buy more. In the old days you could tell a clerk you were just looking and stay anonymous. But I guess that's not true anymore.

Patty said...

Good morning, Betty -- I was flipping through various things on the computer this morning and came across a You Tube of an online book club you had sometime ago. Showed all the people apparently waiting for the club to begin -- about 10 women and a man or two. They were fidgeting around -- in the background of one woman, a man in trousers and an undershirt walked by!! Another woman kept reaching forward, adjusting the camera. Another looked like she was ready to fall asleep -- her head would droop and she'd jerk back. I hope the meeting eventually went well!! When my daughter was doing her 4th grade classes all online during the pandemic, she had to remind parents that everything in the room was visible to everyone -- there were nearly some very explicit actions shown!!

Betty Hechtman said...

Patty, it did go well once it started, but I can see why people choose to shut off the camera on them. It's too easy forget that whatever you do is visible. If you're live in a room of people, you are more likely to keep it together.

chkntza said...

I was getting 200 junk emails a day. It was way too much and it wasted so much of my time to delete them all. I had to check each one because sometimes legitimate email gets into the junk pile. I contacted Rich DeMuro from channel 5 to find out what to do. He said to unsubscribe from all the ones that have that option. I did and it cut down on my junk emails. Now I just get a few.

Patty said...

A friend who is an IT expert for a large business says never click the unsubscribe button on spam emails. It is actually dangerous to do so -- it confirms to the source that yours is indeed a valid email and it can cause you to be connected to many more spam sites. It may be a nuisance to delete each spam individually but it is the safest thing to do. Do not under any circumstances open a spam email.

Betty Hechtman said...

Chkntza, I also check my junk emails because once in awhile there is a legitimate email stuck in the bunch. Interesting about unsubscribing. I'll have to check that out. It's a time investment but may payout in the long run.

Betty Hechtman said...

Patty, I had heard something like that. It is a concern about clicking on anything. I'll rethink trying to unsubscribe.

chkntza said...

I also heard about not responding to junk emails so I never did. But 200 a day was driving me crazy. That's why I contacted Rich DeMuro. He sent me an article about spam. There is now a law on the books that requires junk mail to provide an unsubcrribe button. Not all of them have an unsubscribe button and not all the buttons work, but, since I have been unsubscribing my junk mail is down to 20 or less. I am happy with the results so far.

Linda O. Johnston said...

I identify with your frustration, Betty. I'm both amused and frustrated that when I look at something online that I might consider purchasing, I get endless ads on my online page urging me to go ahead and buy it!