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My Thoughts on "We Are Data": LJ2

I thought that the We Are Data reading was both eye-opening and just as I expected. I've always felt that there were creepy undertones to social media (and the internet in general) but this further validates that. The reading mentions how ignorant Internet users are to how their data is used. I would argue the opposite. While we may not know exact specifics, a lot of us know. We are aware of how invasive technology is. The issue is that it is so woven into our lives that it feels almost impossible to avoid the exploitation of our lives. It almost feels like a toxic relationship. I know that if I want to be on the internet, use my GPS or majority of the functions on my phone/laptop, I have to take part in this. It creates a love-hate relationship with the Internet, where I find myself critiquing the system while being a part of it.

I've previously used the feature talked about on page 6 (www.google.com/ads/preferences) and was relieved how incorrect my identifications were. I thought that maybe it meant they were not getting enough information on me and couldn't create a clear picture. I've learned from this chapter that they actually have gathered more than enough information on me. They've created their clear picture of me. We Are Data emphasizes just how much data they gather even in situations where I wouldn't think they could. "We unintentionally perform our data when we buy food at the grocery store...even just move around our neighborhood (our phone's internal GPS alters our mobile carrier, Facebook, and our other mobile applications where we are)"(Cheney-Lippold, 2019). As said in We Are Data, "It's a reconfiguration, a freshly minted algorithmic truth that cares little about being authentic" (Cheney-Lippold, 2019).

Now that I've read We Are Data, knowing this does not affect my personal or professional use of social media and the internet. I was already aware of how invasive these platforms are. As for my ideas on the ethics of this, I think what's being done is completely unethical. To take so much of someone's information unbeknownst to them feels illegal (and should be). 

References:

Cheney-Lippold, J. (2019). We are data algorithms and the making of our Digital Selves. New York University Press. 

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