We Know We’re Being Watched, So Why Do We Still Share Everything?
We Know We’re Being Watched, So Why Do We Still Share Everything?
We Know We’re Being Watched, So Why Do We Still Share Everything?
Do you ever feel like your conversations are being monitored online? Let's explore how social media can invade our privacy without us realizing it.
It has happened to all of us. We have a casual conversation with our friend and mention some product casually. Then, before you know it, there’s an ad for exactly that on Instagram. Out of nowhere. This, happening when we have private chats on Instagram is one thing but this also happens when we converse irl which raises concerning questions about how far surveillance really goes.
Awareness Without Action
A lot of people I have spoken with are more than aware that this is a serious issue. But… we don’t do anything. Sure, every now and then we “Accept only essential cookies” but other than that we’re more than happy to click “Allow permission” to anything an app asks of us. We accept terms and conditions without a thought. Yet when asked about it, we know the consequences of doing such things.
Rationalising
Living in a world where social media is as prominent as it is, we cannot help ourselves. We cannot live in privacy and not feel left out. We constantly post about our lives, convincing ourselves with various rationalities. We are two “insignificant” to be targeted or the information that we give away is “harmless”. Using such selective logic, we rationalise giving our data away.
Abstract Threat of Surveillance
The main factor is that though we are aware of surveillance, we also don’t see it as an immediate threat. Surveillance is an abstract threat that can have long term consequences but right now remains as a distant, invisible danger. Human nature is naturally to focus on present problems so while this may be in the back of our mind, we find fitting in social media the more immediate concern so we give away all our data just for some short-term dopamine.
We will still be paranoid that our phone cameras are watching and listening to us all the time but we will also continue to give permission to all our social media apps while we try not to get left behind in this socially active world. The hypocrisy is something that has to be dealt with as a society rather than just a few individuals and then we can hold people responsible.
#PrivacyConcerns #SocialMedia #DataProtection #DigitalLife #Surveillance
