After reading We Are Data, I was really able to grasp and understand how invasive the internet can be and how algorithmic processing is used. Although I am aware of the surveillance and data the government has access to, I usually seem to ignore it over time. When making a phone call, its made clear when you're being recorded on your phone so it's nothing unusual but when you understand how much data is really being stored can be a little gut wrecking. There really is no true privacy and no one likes to feel like they are being monitored throughout their daily life. Everything we post and search is monitored and used in a form of data and all of this data is being interpreted in their own ways rather than who we are. This article states " online you is not who you think you are." (Cheney, J. 2019) This is scary to think about because we want to be able to control our own identities which we should have the right to but don't. For example, Google may refer me to a 30 year old man when in reality I am a 22 year old woman. This is a really odd concept to think about because the interpretation is based on what you search when the internet is a broad website for people to browse whatever they want. I think the negative part about this is just you being altered to what they want to believe about you. Cheney says, " Your search results and advertisements will be subsequently gendered and aged." (Cheney, J. 2019) This goes to show how much power the media has over you and this can actually affect your life in the long run. Knowing this makes me feel like I have no privacy but at the end of the day, I want to use the platform to my advantage without worrying what others will think because thats inevitable, but I will definitely be more aware from now on. Professional networking is really crucial and you want to be in a good standing always so I wouldn't share anything that can jeopardize your future in that aspect.
Cheney-Lippold, J. (2019). Introduction. In We are data algorithms and the making of our Digital Selves (pp. 5–6). essay, New York University Press.
Hello Giselle, I agree with everything you said! Privacy is so important, and it is so scary to think that Google can be altering data and using data to their advantage. I also loved the statement "we want to be able to control our own identities which we should have the right to but don't." that is such a powerful thought you wrote out!
ReplyDeleteHello Giselle,
ReplyDeleteIt is no surprise that since the dawn of the internet, any users that partake in any form of social media should always be aware of how invasive these platforms can be. The best approach that we can employ right now is to have control over our contents, double checking everything before hitting the publish button. Just like you mentioned, being monitored on the internet is practically unavoidable, but that does not mean that we can not explore methodologies that can help us protect our privacy better.