Something to be afraid of: "preferences" as defined by search engines and social networks

For the first time in history, we find ourselves in an economy where corporate giants the likes of Google and Facebook amass their fortunes without ever the need for a production line. The new currency of the world is no longer measured in how much physical product a nation can produce but rather how much information it can gather and retain; this is the information age. The agendas of search engines and social networking sites are under constant scrutiny as privacy concerns continually surface. Conspiracy theories aside, I believe there are other more immediate evils that are the by-product of this information gathering. Although personal privacy is definitely something to fight for, our freedom to information is also at stake.

The internet as we experience it today is a vast landscape of content to which there is currently little order. In the physical world, territory is easy to see and claim. The digital world however, provides its inherent challenges and every broadcaster of this medium is looking for a way to cash in. How will the internet change in the future? If current debates about Metered Internet usage and Net Neutrality persist, then the answer is “bleak”.

Google and Facebook however, don’t make their dime controlling access to the internet. Their aim is to store and trend all your searches and interactions with the internet so as to create a more “personable” experience. Although these actions don’t hurt our pockets, I would argue they are far more damaging to the society as a whole. Having an application that knows what we know in order to fit our personal preferences is essentially providing everyone with internet access a digital “yes” man. And while there are definitely some benefits in knowing that we are not alone in this world, it could also be detrimental. Search engines and social networks are not just passive channels. With every click we contribute to the dataset and hand over more authority to these corporations to curate the content on the web. What results is an internet culture tailored to not only justify but amplify our own personal beliefs no matter how noble or abhorrent. Search engines that tell us what we want to hear, social networks with personalities that reaffirm our interests, are all breeding grounds for stereotypes and ignorance. When the information around us is shaped by our own preferences, to whom lies the responsibility to tell us the contrary?