Who’s got the power?
Initially, I wanted to write about personalised ads and discuss whether they are good or bad. Briefly, companies collect personal data no matter what, but the algorithm can either use it to show ads that we are more likely to buy or just randomly. On one side, we are too busy for random ads so, it is better if they are useful. On the other hand, personalised ads might make one buy more things, because they tap into people’s interests. Both positions are valid and the answer really depends on the person’s capacity for self-control. However, someone said in the replies to this reddit post “It’s 2023, are you still seeing ads?” and that made me change my approach entirely.
My answer is no, I am not seeing ads. Why? Because I use a free ad blocker. So why did something I already knew change my approach? Well, it made me question the preconditions of the digital medium. By default, I was conditioned to think in binaries like the digital, it was either personalised ads on or off, not the third option: no ads.
Our digital creative space is conditioned by its design and by the tools made available to us. I wonder who’s got the power though: the ones who set the conditions through design or the ones that challenge and bend it?
Privacy & Freedom axis
The power of the digital medium is not centralised nor static. It moves and emits light like a bunch of fireflies trapped in a jar. Apart from monetary access restrictions such as paid articles in newspapers, users in the digital are roughly equal in terms of rights and freedoms. This can lead to many conflicts as each individual is given a free voice that another can find annoying. As one can imagine, some voices sound very convincing and can gather support thanks to their successful rhetoric.
To prevent misinformation from spreading, social media platforms adopt administrative measures, i.e. community guidelines. For instance, if a voice gets too offensive or destructive, it can be banned. Modern day banishing for thought crimes, e.g. Tate, Peterson and Trump.
However, this tool of silencing can be used for purposes of censoring free press. While some governments prefer to restrict access, others try to manipulate and control it (Lucchi). These phenomena call into question the authorities who have access to such power. As it is well known, with great power comes great responsibility and we need to figure out how much of this responsibility rests on our shoulders as users.
Am I the influencer? Or am I under the influence?
Social space and interactions in it are conditioned by its design, i.e., without a preexisting feature to comment, there can be no comments. This design aims to maximise positive experience. What is visible to users are likes, comments and followers while dislikes, blocks and mutes are not shared information. Of course, the medium itself might carry disturbing content that creates negative emotions. However, by design, social media is a blank canvas for individual expression with only positive feedback directly available to the creator.
Social media platforms are helpful creating channels between individuals. For instance, my high school friend can upload a song and I can give her honest feedback on it within the day of its production. This is very fast considering we both study and live in different cities. That truly speeds up her artistic process and enables the improvement of her artwork through digital feedback.
The freedom of customisation through privacy and free access can benefit but also harm creators as much as consumers. For consumers, the positive design enables the creation of a tailored dopamine farm. For example, I use TikTok to watch cat videos, so whenever I feel sad I watch one to feel better. The dopamine I will get from that cat video seems to be beneficial to me, to TikTok and also the companies that showed me ads. With time, this can turn into an addiction that can overpower my agency, turning me into a dopamine junkie.
Same might happen to a creator, I start posting videos of my cat because I find them cute. I receive lots of likes, so I upload more videos and potentially develop an addiction to receiving dopamine from the positive feedback I get as a creator. When shaping our social spaces, we are motivated by more humane feelings such as feeling important, liked, relevant, helpful, informative, etc. In the digital, these motivations are reduced to quick numbers while human profanity get lost in the Boolean translation.
These little shortcuts into the human psyche are present all over these platforms. How many times did I say “yes, I consent” to something I have not read? How many times did I like a post without seeing it all? How many times did I check who viewed my story? How much time did I spend worrying about @inserttags instead of people sitting next to me? It is all on me to deal with how I use these mediums while I cannot help but feel the mediums crawling into my skin with each tap.
Finally, I like to conclude by presenting my personal favourites in the customisation toolbox: “log off” and “delete account”. Am I ever going to use them? Maybe never.
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