Category: Digital Literacy

The development of the modern web seems to be a constant trade-off between the give and take of information. Users are expected to give information, give privacy, give access while companies and online resources are expected to give resources, give value and give connection. Of course if one is giving, another is taking.

Rapid growth of what is possible online now allows us to live much of our life digitally in a way that was only a pipe dream ten or twenty years ago. What began primarily as an information delivery system (reading news articles, checking sports scores, sending email) has evolved over time to be an extension of a much more integrated human experience.

Along with this development and growth comes the need for data to be tracked. Not only data but also its relation and connection to other data which gives online services a fuller picture of its users, whether or not that picture is completely accurate.

Correlated data based on online behaviour, website activity and habits such as purchasing decisions, social media posts and banking all work together to create a digital image of an individual.

We have learned to become accustomed to this like the proverbial frog in the pot of water with the temperature turned up slowly, degree by degree. We only notice how hot the water of online digital tracking has become when we are made aware of it or when we decide to take the temperature.

Using Lightbeam on Firefox as a way to visualize how all of this data was being tracked based on my digital behaviour was intriguing. Over the course of approximately ten days I was surprised to discover that the sites which tracks and recorded the largest amount of data were three that I would say are not common places I visit online: ebay.com, newyorker.com and foxnews.com.

Also surprising was the amount of data which was correlated across multiple sites. Seeing some data points with single connection lines to single websites is interesting. Seeing other data points in the middle of a criss cross jumble of multiple connections to multiple sites was very interesting.

At the same time, I recognize that since Firefox is not my usual browser (I’ll typically use Safari and also Chrome) I found myself thinking differently about my own online behaviour. It isn’t the understanding that data is being tracked which changed my behaviour (since this is already known and understood using other browsers) but more that I knew the tracking would be on display in a visual form.

A true digital picture of my own tracking online would come through an extended analysis of browsing on Safari, not only on my computer but also on my phone and my kids’ iPad which sometimes gets picked up when other devices aren’t nearby.

As society’s familiarity with what is possible online combined with our growing demanded for the web to do more for us, the opportunity and need for data tracking will only continue. Ethical conversations will continue as data breaches and theft become more common with greater impact.

The give and take of user information and user experience will continue on as companies around the world discover new and better ways to convert that data into opportunities to influence human behaviour. The awareness of how we are being tracked and how that information is being used must stay at the forefront of our conversations around future web development.

Social media and technological abundance have done so much to change the world and it is likely that we are only beginning to learn of the impact these changes are having on society and culture.

Media exposure in the past would be the result of a press release, a press conference, some significant event worthy of a certain level of attention. Now every tweet, every photo on instagram, every post on facebook is able to receive the same level of notoriety as historic events which occurred before the arrival of social media.

As an early adopter when it comes to most things related to technology and specifically with social media, I’ve had a strong and active presence on facebook, twitter and instagram for years. While I’ve never found myself in any kind of relational controversy or global scandal because of anything I’ve posted there have been more than enough examples of unintended fallout from what people have posted online.

When every tweet carries the power of a press conference, the level of awareness and caution needs to match the level of consequence.

The summer of 2018 has seen numerous examples of professional baseball players being publicly shamed through the resurfacing of posts on twitter from several years ago. Despite claims of immaturity and personal growth, these athletes have still had to face criticism and consequence for their poor decisions.

The counterbalance is the question of whether or not there should be some statute of limitations on old posts and some forum to respond to allegations of hurtful intent when social media controversy arrives.

Should statements made 5, 10, 15 years ago be viewed through the same cultural lens as the identical statement would be if it were to be said today? Over time we see opinions and cultural norms change to the point where what was a joke or an insult a decade ago can became hurtful and atrocious in a modern context.

Responsibility lies with both the creators and the consumers when it comes to outrage and controversy online.

Two simple guidelines have helped me in my time with social media.

As a content creator, before posting (whether it’s on a social media network or on my personal site) I will pause, ask whether what I’m about to post is necessary and helpful and occasionally ask for an extra set of eyes to review. If there’s any question or concern or unclarity, I will generally not post.

As a content consumer, I try to always assume the best of the person who has posted. While we call it social media the truth is that words on a screen carry almost no social cues and so we are often unable to completely accurately identify context, tone or intent. Assuming the best allows for me to be wrong and for the creator to be right, even though I may disagree passionately with what is being said.

One more overarching principle is the reminder that very few opinions have been changed or arguments been settled through back-and-forth on social media. Comments and replies generally spiral downward very quickly and move away from the original issue.

As awareness of the power of social media increases and the level of education continues to grow around online bullying and appropriate communication on social media, I believe we will see the power and potential of these technologies continue to grow. They are certainly not going away! As a global community we will need to learn to leverage these new forms of communication and understand the limitations found in each of them.