Recently, while talking to Professor Jillian Dunn from UCLA, something she said left me deeply reflective. According to her, with just a single piece of information, the internet can know more about you than the people you know. With two pieces, it knows more than your own family. With three pieces, the internet knows more than your friends, and with four pieces, it can know more about you than you know about yourself. This statement left me perplexed.
How is it possible that the internet knows more about me than I do, with just four pieces of information?
The next day, I was at home with a friend who had just downloaded the TikTok app on her phone. She was trying to understand how the algorithm worked. As she spent more time watching certain content, more of the same type of content appeared on her screen. However, something strange happened: the next day, content that supposedly “didn’t interest her” started to appear, but strangely, she couldn’t stop watching it.
This was when I understood what Jillian was saying. The internet really knows you better than you know yourself. In the technological era we live in, with the constant emergence of new platforms, the amount of data collected about us continues to grow, and concerns about privacy invasion become more prominent.
But has data collection ever crossed the line? And if it’s to enhance our online experience, is it worth it?
Small behavioral patterns are tracked through our searches, the things we like and share, and that’s where big data companies start to uncover hidden attributes about us that we didn’t even know we were sharing information about.
Based on this data, personas are created that represent our profiles. Our age, gender, interests, and more. And it is through this information that big data companies can further personalize our online experience.
However, the question arises: how far is data collection acceptable? To what extent is it ethical and beneficial for us as users?
These are important questions we need to ask and reflect on in an increasingly connected world.
As we continue to share personal information and interact with online platforms, it is crucial to be aware of the power these companies have over our data and the importance of protecting our privacy.
BEATRIZ DIAS
Graphic Designer, Photographer
Beatrizgcostadias@gmail.com