You're Soaking in It

You're Soaking In It is a chilling look at the issues of advertising in the age of algorithms. Brands are getting deeper into our heads than ever, much more so than Don Draper could have ever imagined. The seismic shift from old school, gut instinct ads to the data driven campaigns of today are threatening our private lives in ways few of us understand. We're all soaking in it, whether we know it or not.
　　Advertising - what was quaint is now quantifiable. What was once best guesses and creative leaps, is now precise, targeted surveillance and 'Big Data', rooted in hard science, complicated math, and high technology. The data is often very personal information used to design advertising specifically tailored to influence you at the precise moment you are most ready to spend. Depending on your personal view, this could either be the height of convenience ... or the end of a private, respectful society.
　　As an entry point and linking device through the film, the documentary goes to class where the most impressionable among us - young students - ponder the issues of big data, privacy, freedom, creativity, loyalty & informed consent. The documentary looks at the changing social culture of those who have become the most important influencers of our time - from the 2-martini lunch 'Mad Men', to the algorithmic computer and math scientists of today's advertising world, the 'Math Men'.
　　From Madison Avenue to Silicon Valley, by way of Cannes, we discovery that no matter where you happen to be, or who you happen to be....YOU'RE SOAKING IN IT.