In regards to analytics once again, I do agree that is has great power to help elevate your online self on an array of platforms, such as Google, Facebook, X, Instagram, or even Pinterest and Spotify. However as a user, I do have my own set of concerns and sympathize with others over what data is collected.

From the creator perspective, I can see why it is helpful to track when is the best time to post, what type of content performs best, where and when the engagement and traffic are coming from, among many other things. For those who depend on monetization, it is obvious to see how important it is to track the performance of your content and date online. Harvesting this data can help creators make more enjoyable experiences for their users, create more engagement, and thus lead to more revenue.

The type of data being collected from essentially everywhere is actually astounding. For example, I have a friend who releases music on multiple streaming platforms. She told me not too long ago how crazy the amount of analytics and data she can view from the monthly listeners she gets on Spotify. You can view map of where the listeners are come, what playlists they have added the music to, what type of genres those listeners listen to, listen time averages, how often they listen to certain songs, and much, much more. While it sounds a little unsettling, we all already recognize this as Spotify Wrapped! It doesn’t look so scary when it’s shown with music, colours, and pretty layouts that everyone posts on Instagram.

From a user perspective, I completely understand the privacy concerns individuals may have regarding the amount of data tracked. A part of my isn’t too worried, because I sort of believe that at the end of the day, companies will know anything about me due to so many cookies and conditions we all blindly click accept on. However, elements that do still make me wary are financial information and the permission given to my camera and camera roll. For example, later versions of iPhones have a little orange or green dot that lights up near the camera when the mic or camera are being used by an app. I’ve noticed at times when scrolling Instagram that the green light turns on, meaning my camera has been turned on by Instagram. Is it to track my eye patterns while scrolling? Most likely, as I have heard this is the case…but still very creepy! Another example I didn’t know was that the reason your computer slows down when you have Chrome tabs open is due to the amount of cookies being collected by Google. I’ve always been curious why as “simple” as a browser takes up so much power – makes you think about the insane amount of data that’s being collected!