A 55-gallon tub of lube is funny. That’s just science. But when you post to Facebook about it being a funny thing that exists in the world, there’s a chance that your post might get turned into an ad for that specific lifetime supply of hand love enabler, visible to everyone you know.
That’s what happened when Nick Bergus posted about the notorious 55-gallon pleasure tub a while back. He saw it, fired off a joke, and more or less forgot about it. Then this happened:
A week later, a friend posts a screen capture and tells me that my post has been showing up next to his news feed as a sponsored story, meaning Amazon is paying Facebook to highlight my link to a giant tub of personal lubricant.
Other people start reporting that they’re seeing it, too. A fellow roller derby referee. A former employee of a magazine I still write for. My co-worker’s wife. They’re not seeing just once, but regularly. Said one friend: “It has shown up as one on mine every single time I log in.”
That’s equal parts disquieting and hilarious, of course. Actually, no. It’s far more funny than it is alarming. Look, no personal information was disclosed or traded, no one was egregiously harmed, and honestly, the story of how that one time you became the face of the 55-gallon lubricant merchants of the world is worth having to explain a very funny situation to a few confused acquaintances. Just maybe be a little careful about posting about that hilarious dildo you just saw, eh? [Nick Bergus via Kottke]
