126
Why are tech company's so interested in my boring ass data? (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 years ago* by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
93 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Like why do they care how many times I go to porn hub every day or that nothing gets me harder than a free use MILF? Why do they care that I don't know how to spell consistency so I have to Google it every 3 months.

What the fuck is wrong with people?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] 9 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Pick up habits, profiling so they can know what you are interested in and the areas you frequent to target you more efficiently. More likely for directed advertising but can also be for influencing.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
    •
  • [โ€“] 14 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

    The influencing aspect here is almost certainly tied into the drop of search engine efficacy recently. Big tech finally collected enough data from you and everyone you know to now be able to alter what answer you find for the question you asked. Wildly, this same question now generates different results depending on the profile they've assigned you. MullVads Total Surveillance paper published last October highlights this explicitly. This is why data collection matters, not due to ads, but the ability of Big Tech to change how you view the world. Your data impacts the search results you see, as well as everyone similar to you...

    Edit: Here's the link to the MullVad paper https://mullvad.net/pdfs/Total_surveillance.pdf

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [โ€“] [S] 0 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Couldn't they just like, ask?

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
    •
  • [โ€“] 7 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    @Daft_ish Why go through the trouble of asking you when they can ask your browser who will tell them everything instantly and also knows you better than you ever will?

    @ninjaturtle

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
    •
  • [โ€“] [S] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    I assume because they have to pay for that shit

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [โ€“] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    @Daft_ish If they are the ones who supplied your browser, they don't have to pay shit.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [โ€“] [S] 0 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Some one has to pay. Facebook ain't making money selling me facebook.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [โ€“] 2 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    @Daft_ish Facebook's making money selling *you* on Facebook. You are the raw material.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [โ€“] [S] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    But like I'm saying. If you're buying me on Facebook you're going to be way disappointed.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [โ€“] 4 points 2 years ago

    Yea, it's a matter of statistics. Users are interested in different things and some are vastly more valuable than others. Do you impulse buy and have a trust fund that let's you burn tens of thousands of dollars a day? Well, much like a whale in Genshin Impact you're the one they're trying to hook... the rest of us just get swept up in case one of our niche interests is worth monetizing. When someone builds a Mage The Ascension video game with a script written by Terry Pratchett I will throw my wallet at them. Until that day I'm just an unprofitable data point.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [โ€“] 1 point 2 years ago

    Pretty much this. Nothing is really holding them back from collecting data so its easier for them to do this in bulk. They do buy data as well from information brokers. Bigger companies usually have wider reachers to collect more. They have pretty much free range when we agree to use their products, forced or otherwise.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [โ€“] 4 points 2 years ago

    No. You'll tell them what you like, but you might not tell them what you can't look away from.

    The latter is more useful for manipulating you into buying stuff or just spending more time on their platforms.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent