Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
true.
Privacy and all that surrounds it as a topic has been a consistent point of discussion with our kids for the last 5 years and I am sure it will continue. They are 17 and 13 now and both got phones at 11. Total waste of money at that age, but I digress.
No social media for either until 13, it was/is limited in what they could both use and post, and the conversations never end about potential negatives like scrolling too frequently, projecting ideals vs reality, tracking by companies, and much more.
My wife(lawyer who deals with a lot of child privacy laws and rights for k12 education) actually made my 17yo read a significant portion of the Apple TOS on Christmas when we got her an iPad. It was hilarious in a sickeninly entertaining way.
Anyways, we talk a lot about tracking, targeted advertising, and both the real and perceived negatives for those sort of things.
I showed them how ads on sites vary depending on user and they were like 'well that makes sense' and we likened it to how commercials on TV or radio are also selected to match a targeted audience. It's different, but still similar.
The biggest takeaway I have been making sure they understand is that the well worn claim that 'if you don't pay for the product then you are the product' is often true, but it isn't inherently bad. A lot of tech that costs $0 is still valuable to the user and therefore can still be seen as being the product. It is possible for multiple parties to find value in that free product and it is then a net benefit for all.
Google maps-
- Google gets to track what I search, where I go, and where I shop so they can turn aggregate that with everyone else's data and monetize it while also refining the program for users to use it more.
- Businesses get visibility for customers to see what is in an area.
- Users can better plan routes, see how long trips will take for planning, quickly find business in an area that have what they need, etc.
That's a win for all, as long as all are aware of how the system works and find value in participating.
There's nothing new under the sun. Sales people and con men have always sized people up and customized their pitch. The only difference is, rather than looking at the cut of our clothes and shine of our shoes as we walk by, they can look at everything we do online in the pseudo privacy of our homes. Here I am espousing that view in public - providing another piece of data for my public profile.