Facebook appeared at the forefront of online privacy paranoia in late 2011 through early 2012 according to a timeline of articles over at Huffington Post. It must have been a slow news day for reporters at the publication and others like it -- Mashable, USA Today and Business Insider covered the controversy as well -- because cookie tracking is in no way ripe gossip. Despite the nativeness of internet cookies, which first developed in 1995, the scrutinizing headlines echoed panic into the online community. A 2012 survey found 70% of Facebook users don’t trust the $200 billion company with their personal information.
A fear epidemic of near
dystopian proportions has ensued since, targeting various big name brands like
Apple and Google. An article on Australian pop culture site Junkee confirmed just how
parasitic the outrage has become when it discussed the tracking patterns of
Google Maps. Reporter Elizabeth Flux writes, “Knowledge [of tracking] is easy to drown out by shoving in some
headphones… until everything stops being 1984.”
Chad Little, CEO of
Fetchback, responded
to criticism of data tracking by emphasizing its key role in marketing and advertising
(which I’ll comment on later). He writes, “Consumers need to understand that it is the voice of a few that make the
negative perception of behavioral tracking a much bigger issue than it really
is.”
If you haven’t yet caught
on, I pursue the unpopular opinion on digi-data tracking and consider it a
blessing rather than a curse. Maybe that’s because my millennial status groomed
me to perceive technology as [beneficial]. Maybe, instead, my studies of mass
communication in college have taught me to approach online issues from a
business standpoint. Or maybe I just feel obligated to root for the underdog.
Metadata tracking established
a new era of life online catered to each individual user. If that in itself
doesn’t induce gratitude, check out the 10 ways data tracking is making your
life better right now:
1. PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS
Amazon and many other online retailers promote a spending environment by recommending similar products viewed by other users. Amazon is the number one "e-tailer" in the world, serving 19.5 million customers every day.
2. STREAMING SERVICES
Like online retailers, streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Pandora and Spotify develop a user profile based on your interests and suggest movies, music and TV you may like. Netflix boasts over 53 million members, validating the popularity of the cord-cutter movement.
3. ANALYTICS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
Small businesses that operate blogs generate 126% more traffic than their blogless counterparts, according to an infographic from Social Media Today. Web analytics services, free and paid, like Google Analytics, Optimizely and Twitalyzer track site visitors and gauge the effectiveness of different marketing tactics.
4. ACCOUNT SECURITY
Banks and e-mail carriers use activity location to verify the security of your accounts. A few months ago, my Gmail used compiled data of all my login locations to prevent someone on the other side of the world from hacking into my account.
5. ADVERTISMENTS
Most free websites like Facebook do sell users' browsing behavior information to advertisers in order to make money, but this controversial practice keeps our favorite internet havens open to all. In absence of advertisements, webistes would rely on income from donations, premium services or membership fees -- remember Ello?
HAVE NO FEAR -- 1984 IS NOWHERE NEAR
I’ll let you in on a little secret: The world’s most beloved companies all use some sort of metadata collection to change the way we live our online lives, and the methodology is much less “Big Brother” and much more “Big Sister” – that edgy yet compassionate chick who lends you her iPod, teaches you what staple pieces work best with your wardrobe and stays in with you on Friday night to binge watch Orange is the New Black after your date stood you up.
Next time she interjects into your mandatory Pinterest and potato chips hour to tell you dinner is ready, swallow your complaints and thank her for all she does for you. Trust me, it's not easy being a busybody.
In what way has data tracking affected you? Do you find it harrowing or harmless? Comment below!
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