In 2012, I was invited to a dinner party, and the subject of business rose up. A friend had mentioned that gold and oil is no longer the most valuable commodity of the 21st century. The most valuable commodity is information, because with it you could make billions selling the right products to the right consumers. At the time, I did not know that my friend is alluding to the way American corporations like Target and Amazon have been marketing personalized products to specific individuals.
Data collection is a relatively new phenomenon brought forth by the information age, where companies can now collect information on consumer habits. Whenever a consumer buys products from a major corporation, information is being collected about this specific consumer (how old they are, where they live) then, a computer algorithm will predict with some degree of accuracy what this person is likely want to buy next. According to Charles Duhigg in “The Power of Habits”, data tracking is an effective tool used by Target, who as of 2009, “increased their revenue by $44 billion to $64 billion dollars”[1] (kindle location 3251 of 6098). However companies’ possessing so much information about a consumer is troubling to some individuals, because there was absolutely no consent on the party of the consumer in this exchange. I’d want to argue that companies should be able to collect data on its consumers, because they need to stay relevant in today’s technology driven market; data tracking does no harm to the individual physically or emotionally, and helped the medical community collect data to better their research.
The dichotomy of businesses today, is vapidly different from how businesses stayed afloat just 20 years ago, due to new technology. To stay relevant in the 21st century, businesses have adopted new strategies to succeed in a changed environment; such has using data tracking on consumers to predict their future purchases. It could be argued that businesses such as Blockbuster or Borders Inc who had not adapted to the technological world on time, went bust during the difficult 2007 recession, where economic activity was stagnant. It is within the interest of the economy and businesses to adopt data tracking, because this phenomenon makes up such a huge part of the new tech world. In addition, data tracking has allowed free online services like Facebook, Google, or Youtube to provide their content for free because of the revenue the companies make by data collection. It is beneficial for the right people to be able to collect statistics, and make that information into productive use.
The opponents of data tracking do not like this new technology businesses use, because they feel it is an invasion of privacy and unethical. But is data tracking harming the person emotionally or physically? The companies using data tracking are not doing something illegal. They are not stealing credit card numbers. Neither are they committing frauds or scams. Businesses are not forcing consumers to purchase things they do not want to buy. The companies are simply trying to figure out what to do for a capitalistic market. The only individuals who may possibly find data tracking destructive to their personal life is a shopaholic, but they would self-destruct financially regardless of businesses sending personalized advertisements to them.
Data tracking is used by companies to improve and address a population’s need. Data tracking is not just a tool used to sell consumers materialistic things. Several companies such as Apple, have begun using data tracking to improve and developed cures in medical science. Such companies like Researchkit, Carekit, and The Apple Health app has used the same technology to collect information on individuals. Researchkit and Carekit are apps that collects information on individuals with health or development issues such as Parkinson, seizures, and Autism-the website claims to be able to make early diagnosis based on user behavior [3]. The information is used to aid medical professions to provide better preventative care, and aid in medical research. “More participants, more data, more meaningful results”, was a quote used in their website [3]. There are other organizations such as United Nations Global Pulse who are using data tracking to find and address social issues, by using an algorithm named Crimson Hexagon, to sort through twitter for specific keywords such as “afford”, “rent”, and “expenses”. With Crimson Hexagon, they will be better able to address and tackle issues in society. The public is not as bothered by the data collections of these health companies, but oddly enough are not as welcoming with other companies collecting data collection.
“Behavioral habits prevent us from becoming overwhelmed by endless decisions we would otherwise have to make each day” (kindle location 3124). Companies are able to use information-collected form data tracking to sell relevant products based on consumer habits are. Some proponents may find data tracking an invasion of privacy. But realistically, there is no such thing as privacy anymore. Everything about an individual is recorded somewhere in the information age, and can be accessed. The Patriot Act already allows governments to access personal information to protect national security. Data tracking is an effective tool used by businesses and medical science. It could improve company services and help the medical community discover cures based on a broader source of data. Data tracking is not something that harms an individual physically or emotionally. Technology that could track and predict our behaviors is a very prevalent part of our society at time. Even if companies do not use this technology, it is certainly used by other organizations such as the government. Perhaps it is best to accept that data tracking is part of our reality, and work to incorporate this technology into our lives, rather than oppose it.
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Sources:
[1] Duhigg, Charles. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. New York: Random House, 2012. Print.
[2] “Data Tracking: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly.” VentureBreak. N.p., 09 July 2013. Web. 08 Mar. 2016. http://venturebreak.com/2013/07/09/data-tracking-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
[3] “ResearchKit and CareKit.” Apple. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016. <http://www.apple.com/researchkit/>.
[4] “IOS 9 — Health.” Apple. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016. <http://www.apple.com/ios/health/>.
[5] “United Nations Global Pulse.” Monitoring Perceptions of Crisis-Related Stress Using Social Media Data (2011). N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016. <http://www.unglobalpulse.org/projects/twitter-and-perceptions-crisis-related-stress>.
[6] “Tracking Metadata Can Be Useful — and Proper.” Computerworld. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016. <http://www.computerworld.com/article/2488304/data-privacy/tracking-metadata-can-be-useful----and-proper.html>.
[7] “Insight.” Can We Detect Atrial Fibrillation Using Apple Watch Sensor Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016. <http://insighthealthdata.com/blog/HealthyBeats/index.html>.
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