Digital surveillance has grown rapidly over the years. While looking online, whether we agree with this or not, our server keeps track of what we have viewed. Websites and specific items that are kept in our shopping carts, etc. The quote from our reading “When we surf the Internet, for example, Internet browsers can gather information about the paths we take – the site we’ve visit and the clickstreams that take us from one site to another” (Andrejevic 2) relates to my personal experiences of online tracking. For example, I was looking online recently for airline flights to Florida. For the next week, my computer then kept advertising the specific dates/airports I was searching for. This is to capture my attention from a marketing point of view.
On my personal computer, I do not mind that my history is being saved. However, if I was on my work computer, or a computer that is shared with a third party, it does feel somewhat violating. At work, it is not appealing to have others know what you are searching for on the internet. This all depends on your personal preferences.
Adrejevic, page 4,states “companies are able to track our movements, transactions, and communications without our permission or, in many cases, knowledge.” This statement is very much true. Though online users may say they feel violated, just simply using social media is allowing this to take place. Posting pictures on Facebook, Instagram, and other online apps is feeding into ourselves being tracked online by these companies.
I personally have mixed feelings regarding digital surveillance. I think it has positive and negative aspects. It’s positive aspects are that you can potentially have better opportunities arise by saving money on whichever item/deal you were viewing previously. Also, it can potentially prevent crimes from occurinng. For example, if an online user is googling terrorism or threatening things, digital surveillance can catch on and prevent this. It’s negative aspect is having an average person’s privacy violated.
This article further explains the good and bad of digital surveillance.
1. Do you feel like your privacy is invaded when your computer keeps track of your history in this way?
2. Do you think this is a good marketing technique? Or too personal?
In many instances, such as searching for flights, if you do not clear your browser history before looking on another website prices actually go up. Sometimes you can save money but in this case you actually end up losing money.
I really love how you are elaborate with your post. Indeed when a computer keeps track of my history in terms of what I do online by sharing it with a third party, will be an absolute violation of my privacy. I know no one will be free online if he or she ever knew he/she is being tracked through digital surveillance. The issue on marketing surveillance is double edged, with one side of it being positive in terms of helping in saving money and time but negative on the other side for violating an individual’s privacy.