For a long time, I considered not writing this article. “It’s not that big a deal” I told myself. “It’s just a few pictures, you should have expected it” I muttered. But it has gone too far. It has all gone too far. 

Last semester, my program at Columbia asked me if they could shoot a picture or two of my face, for advertising reasons. I was honored, excited enthralled. I show up, they snap a pic of my perfect little face, and the day is done. 

But then come the advertisements.

My face, is everywhere. 

On emails, my friends and I receive from school, on the official social media accounts. Fine, I say, I can handle the attention. I did theater in high school there’s clearly something wrong with me

Then comes…. The targeted ad

It turns out they have decided to make targeted ads for the program, which would be fine and dandy if I weren’t in every single one of them. My face is everywhere. I open Instagram, and there I am, my own face staring back at me, inviting me to click the link. I am an advertisement for myself, daily, nay, every time I open my social media. For a month. If that very idea doesn’t make you want to hurl, proceed, because it gets more chaotic. It is not just an ad of myself to myself;

I am an advertisement of myself to myself to attend a program that I already attend. Which would make sense, if they were advertising to anyone besides me,  which I doubt because I receive ads of my own face so often I think I may be the only one Instagram and Facebook are targeting to.

Oh! I almost forgot! This ultimate little irony! 

I pay quite a bit of money for college.

Some of that money goes towards the school’s admissions department

Which means

If you are following this narcissistic hellscape, 

That I am (in part) paying for an advertisement of myself to myself to attend a program that I already attend.

If this post gave you a headache, have no fear, your targeted ads predicted that, and if you open Instagram, you will immediately receive an ad for Advil.

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