In this week’s module of my ASU Digital Media Literacy class, we reviewed how data brokers and media companies record our interactions to improve their products and monetize our data for sale to third parties for advertising.
Let’s examine my daily diet to see how data collection affects my media experiences and how I control them.
7:30 A.M.: I wake up and turn to social media to catch up on things. Starting with Facebook, I saw there was a plane crash in Philadelphia. How tragic.
Facebook uses an algorithm to analyze my data, interactions, and interests and determine what is displayed in my feed. This information includes my age, name, and location. They use this data to push content I like from friends and followers and ads for products I might like. By clicking on this news story, I told Facebook I was interested in news and might get updated.
Facebook is not alone in this as a scroll X, and Instagram’s algorithms are designed to do the same.
When I log on to X, the algorithm shows me a link to an Elon Musk post about his meeting with Donald Trump. By clicking on this, I am telling X that I want to see more posts about politics, Musk, and Trump.
I finish my morning scroll on Instagram. The algorithm uses data from my previous searches to provide me with an endless list of Stoic quotes and wisdom. I need the inspiration.
11:00 a.m.: Off to LA Fitness to use my Apple Music app for my Wu-Tang/MF Doom/Czrface workout playlist. Apple knows the music I like by the songs I search for, and they recommend new artists and send advertisements to my email in exchange.
12:30 p.m.: Central Park to practice using my DJI Drone. To legally fly, I must first check if the airspace is clear and use Air Aware. I give the app my name, email address, and location in exchange for safely flying my drone.
3:00 p.m.: Royal Rumble on the Peacock. I pay to watch content, and even though I pay for the service, they still show ads.
5:30 p.m.: The Lakers play the Knicks. I use the Spectrum app on my Roku to watch this. I have shared my data with Spectrum and paid them to access this content. Both apps actively send advertisements to my email.
10:00 p.m.: My night ended with an Instagram post announcing that the Lakers had traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic. In response, Instagram knows I like the Lakers and keeps me updated on the latest trades.
For all these interactions, I have agreed to share my data, such as my name, email and location, with consent and the understanding that I am exchanging this information for access.
I like the unique user experience I receive; it is a fair trade.
If I want to control access to my data from big tech, I can adjust my privacy settings on Facebook, X, Instagram, or any online provider.