Inspired by a question I saw a while back, is it possible to make my data/online presence useless/undesirable to companies to purchase?
Inspired by a question I saw a while back, is it possible to make my data/online presence useless/undesirable to companies to purchase?
You’re thinking little picture, your data specifically isn’t worth anything. Do you really think these multi-billion dollar companies are investing these crazy resources into data to see your porn history or sell you a different brand of toothpaste?
Your data with everyone else’s data is worth a lot because they can use it to manipulate and control society. The Cambridge Anyltica scandal was a proof of concept… and you are not impervious to it. Some of us don’t want to participate in fueling that machine, but congrats on bringing yourself to not care about it I guess.
In the 1960s Alka Seltzer was in poor shape financially, they came up with a new slogan “Plop Plop, Fizz Fizz” because although 1 tablet was generally considered to be a sufficient dose, 2 is more. Its more effective and it sells twice as many.
In the 1920sa meat packing company wanted to sell more bacon, so they hired Edward Bernays a marketing exec. He asked his agencies doctor if a heartier breakfast could make people healthier, when he said yes the asked him to write to 5000 other physicians 4500 of them agreed in principal that yes, a more substantial breakfast of which bacon could be a part could make people overall healthier. The marketing company leveraged peoples trust of doctors to pound them full of salt and saturated fat.
People all of a sudden love to act like manipulating people came along with Facebook and we were in some fantastic consumer utopia before. Nope. Its just more of the same shit, just new vectors.
I’m not thinking small, I’m thinking macro.
You stop 100 people in the street and ask them what steps they have taken to prevent their data being collected, you will get 99 blank stares. My data is worthless because theres billions of people who just dont care, they take polls, they call into radio shows, they answer those facebook “I bet you cant name 5 words without the letter E” clickbait idiocy shares. They click on “20 things you wont believe about” links, they genuinely believe that if you complete the survey you will be sent a $1000 Costco giftcard emails. Your average idiot doesnt need their data mined, they cant wait to give it to them.