Christopher Riley
cr451912@ohio.edu
3000riley.c@gmail.com
Photo courtesy of G Data.
Internet has been a mainstay in culture for the better part of three decades. You would think after that amount of time that we as a society would have a better understanding of how our personal information is shared online. Every time you fill out an online form, sign up for a social media website, purchase an item on Amazon or Ebay, or watch a youtube video, your information is saved. I have always thought it was common knowledge that the ads placed in people’s timelines were based on their browsing history. Yet we often see our Facebook friends surprised by the things they find out about themselves online. How many times have you seen somebody share a message on social media that opens with “I hereby do not grant permission to Facebook”. It is almost annoying how often I see it.
Here is a CBS News article discussing that trend:
With all of this said I have to ask; do people really still trust the internet?
I remember seeing ads closely related to my interests in the early days of Facebook. In the late 2000’s, it was common for new Facebook members to fill out their hobbies, favorite movies, sports, music and everything in between. It should be obvious where the advertisements come from. However here we are in 2021 and people still get scared when they find out big brother is listening. What is more interesting is that some people think that there are specific people on the other side watching you browse the internet. It seems the more paranoid the person is, the more gullable they are to hoaxes like the one I mentioned earlier.
Here is an article from Penn Today that discusses the dangers of sharing personal information:
It is interesting to see that people who are well aware of the dangers in the trends discusses in this article are the same ones who continue to participate in such trends. The trust has to have a line at some point. Astroturfing is another interesting example of trust with the internet. People engage in arguments and heated discussions on social media every day with people who are paid to be there. What’s worse is some people are well aware they are arguing with ‘plants’ or ‘bots’ but engage with them anyway.
Photo courtesy of InsideScience.
Until people can resist the urge to continue the practices of falling for online hoaxes or engaging with trolls, the sketchy behavior of the internet will continue. The people aware of these dangers need to step up and take responsibility and lead by example. If you don’t want Facebook to sell your information then don’t give it to them. You can’t just simply ask them not to in a post because it doesn’t work that way. Where does your trust begin and end? We, as a society, need to figure that out fast.
Christopher, have you ever watched the Social Dilemma? It is a documentary on Netflix that reveals how social media giants manipulate its users with algorithms that encourage addiction to their platform. Self-discipline can only go so far in distancing oneself from the algorithm. The social media realm goes largely unregulated. The first step for journalists, at least, is to report on these unethical and problematic practices.
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