Being a student in a Digital Communications class has raised so many questions my presence in the digital world. Before this semester, I didn’t think much of it – being on social media platforms is a standard past time for the average teenager. I’m not consciously thinking about my digital identity or which of the several different personas I have when I am scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat.
I was so naive then.
It is like I have awoken from a slumber, and my digital communications class has woken me up. I am more aware about the media, digital authorities, and my own digital identity. I am aware that when certain sites label their services as “free”, you’re actually paying with your personal information. It begs the question: Do I want to give my private information to corporations? For instance, Spotify uses every song you listen to, every repeat, shuffle, and skip, as a metric for information. This information is incredibly valuable in the music industry. It’s like currency to them. The same goes for Facebook, Youtube, and Google. I use each of these platforms on a daily basis for hours on end, and the personal information I pay in exchange for their “free” services are my age, location, interests, and preferences. It goes even deeper that: my political views, my sexuality, my relationships, and more. So do I really want to give this information to third parties? My answer is: of course. As long as they are doing me a service and increasing the quality of their platform for my benefit, I am happy to give out my information. It’s not like I have anything to hide. “The gathering of consumer data is the means by which the market is able to discern from the personal desires and the tastes of consumers and cater to them more efficiently” (217). Spotify creates increasingly intuitive playlists that I enjoy listening to, and it would not have happened unless they knew more about me.
Forget the public executions and Foucault’s panopticon prison. The strongly form of disciplinary power in our current generation is FOMO – the fear of missing out. As a capitalist nation, we live in a consumerist society. We are always thinking about joining the latest thing and being a part of the latest trend, and those who do not have “it” are simply not part of the community. If you do not have the latest Adidas Hyperboost shoes or the latest iPhone, you’ll be seen as an outcast of today’s culture. “The culture of ‘self-disclosure’ via social networking has proved to be a useful arena for gathering evidence. British police forces sift through Facebook content for evidence of criminal behavior” (224). We’ve given into a consumerist culture, and we’ve given these entities the permission to take a sneak peek on our personal lives. Knowing this, I believe that this will discourage the general populace from doing illegal activities to an extent. I am discouraged from putting in wrong information or even other people’s information because I know there is a chance that government entities might cross reference me. Illegal activities like illegal downloading or streaming are still at large because most of us do not see what’s wrong with it.
Questions:
How do you feel knowing that you are giving up your personal information to subscribe to these “free” platforms?
How can we take measures to ensure the safety and use of our personal information?