3:30 AM:
It was an early morning for me as I had to get to work early. Before rolling out of bed, I checked Instagram. While I was on Instagram, I liked some funny memes as well as art and tattoos. Instagram can use this data and advertise me new artists for me to follow. I’ve gotten a lot of paid content that has been pushed to my home page on this particular app. I use Discord as a main method of communication for friends as it helps me keep in touch with those far away from me. Discord advertises their subscription service called “Nitro” that unlocks a lot of features a normal sign-up does not. They also offer months of free monthly subscription services and other miscellaneous features if you play a video game they’re promoting. I resist temptation due to their possible ties with ICE/The Department of Homeland Security.
4:00 AM – 4:30 AM:
I took a Lyft to work. Lyft itself is a popular carpool app which utilizes in-app advertisements that include visual ad videos that are occasionally interactive. They offer a multitude of services you *can* pay for like Lyft Silver, Lyft Pink, and Price Lock options. Lyft also uses location services, saving multiple destinations that are usual to me such as home and work. Their privacy policy and information they collect can be noted here.
5:00 AM – 2:00 PM:
I was at work pretty much all day, it definitely felt as long as it was. During break times I would check into Instagram to look at cute animal videos and memes, as well as check Discord to respond to people. Over the course of my work day, we listen to music through the certified music playlist that Starbucks has set up for us specifically for our area. (Funny tidbit, even while I’m doing this assignment, I visited the official Starbucks FAQ and it asked me about accepting their cookies for remembering my log-in info and delivering personalized content). We’re able to personalize our store’s playlists by liking and disliking music on the playlist so I was having a field day on this particular day. The music app remembers my choices and either plays songs less or more.
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM:
I was on my way home and put my headphones in to listen to music. My usual music app of choice is Spotify because I get a premium subscription free through my job, which they keep track of to make sure that I am still working there. Spotify also keeps track of my location to offer me advertisements for shows that are near me based on the artists that I listen to, which are also tracked. Artists and songs I listen to are also tracked to ensure a positive experience of listening to music. Spotify’s privacy policy can be viewed here.
3:00 PM – End of Day
I hadn’t done much throughout the day once I got home because I was more tired than I thought. My partner and I watched Youtube for the rest of the day while doing other tasks. Our algorithm keeps track of the information through a Google account. Youtube also keeps a personalized selection of videos that are similar to what we like to watch and what other people who share mutual interests with us like to watch on our home page. Youtube openly explains that information they take and keep is used across Google.
Final Thoughts
Reviewing my media usage, I’m noticing that a lot of apps I used specifically keep track of my location services in order to track my whereabouts in the background and while I use the app to push me advertisements. Apps like Lyft and Spotify that I use daily are always tracking me. It’s a bit scary to think about but unfortunately, part of it is helpful. Lyft is something I use primarily to get to and from work and Spotify is my main music media source and it’s helpful as someone who likes to attend shows. Youtube, which is another staple in our household, and uses our data to push content that entertains us. To which as I’m typing this, we found someone named Leafy Street we’ve been really enjoying so far who makes videos about funky critters.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy the week <3