This week I read "We Are Data" by John Cheney-Lippold which discusses how our online presence is determined from a more corporate view and how that affects us online.
I'd like to begin with my thoughts on this reading, which there are a lot of. The main idea of this book is to explain that all of the data from every action we do when connected to the internet in some form determines who we are, even if it's incorrect or we didn't provide it. Lisa Gitelman and Virginia Jackson summarize it well when they said "data doesn't speak but is spoken for" (Cheney-Lippold, preface xiii) which basically means that the data we leave when using the internet is taken by say Google or an advertiser, and is then categorized into the person that they think we are. For example, I went to google.com/ads/preferences and was able to see the person Google thinks I am. Obviously, since I have a google account, they would have access to things like my age and gender, but they also have things like the size of my employer, my state of home ownership, and even my relationship status. The funniest part to me was that they weren't even correct for a good amount of the things I hadn't explicitly told them, however, because this is the person Google believes me to be, my online experience is tailored to these criteria and it shapes the way I use the internet, which isn't as funny.
After reading this, I have started to understand that I have very little control over the way I'm perceived online, and that isn't a very comforting thought. Fortunately, I don't use much social media so I'm probably better off than most but there is still likely an unfathomable amount of data about me out there even still. It has made me consider how I use social media and the internet, at least it's going to make me think twice about what information I make public. This especially worries me in a professional sense because Cheney-Lippold mentions algorithms that decide whether or not you're reliable when it comes to working (Cheney-Lippold, pg. 4) . If I make the wrong Google search or post the wrong thing on Instagram, I may have a lower chance to get a job that I am otherwise qualified for.
I won't pretend like I'm an expert in the ethics of this type of situation, but what I can tell you is that it doesn't really seem fair. It feels like no matter what I do, even if I'm the perfect internet user, I could be labeled as something negative and that's that, I'm stuck with something that may not even be true. If I'm deemed unreliable or difficult to work with is completely at the mercy of the author of the algorithm, and to me, that doesn't seem right.
Citations:
Cheney-Lippold, J. (2019). We are data: Algorithms and the making of our Digital Selves. New York University Press.
Hey Shay, I completely agree with your statement referring to your public information "It has made me consider how I use social media and the internet, at least it's going to make me think twice about what information I make public." We have to be highly aware of what we share online because we never know who could be watching, or have future access to. Though it isn't fair, we should always keep in mind that someone is watching.
ReplyDeleteHi Shay! I can understand the feeling of unfairness when it comes to how data about yourself is interpreted. It almost feels like a situation where there is a likelihood for misunderstanding, but there is nothing you can do to prevent it. And once the misunderstanding has taken place, there is nothing you can do to fix it. It almost seems like a lose-lose situation. Even if you don't post anything at all about yourself, simply creating an account is enough to have a digital identity created on your behalf. At times, it can feel like you aren't in control about a part of yourself that you should have control over. Honestly, I don't know how someone would put this feeling to rest. But what we can do is practice safe social media usage, and put faith in ourselves that we will be able to face anything along the way. And overall, there are many positives of social media and the internet, so focusing on those things as well make the experience worth it in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteHi Shay, I really enjoyed reading your post; I feel as though you brought up some points that I have not seen many people discuss through this assignment. I also admire that you went out of your way to do further investigating to see how Google perceives you. I find it very interesting that they keep this information stored and even more interesting that they provide us access to this data. It is unsettling to think about the effects of a digital footprint and how it could potentially affect us in our day to day lives.
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