Your Information is a Resource

  They know you better than you ever could. You don’t even know what restaurant to go to, but they know every place you’ve ever eaten.

  They know you, and you’ve told them everything. All your information saved by others with an email and a password lock and key. But you’re not safe.

  Every click is a chance for a leak. That article about Republicans is great, but now they know. They know you visit political articles. They’ll use that information. They’ll stop at nothing to get more.

  Facebook is not a kind company. It might seem like they care. They send you a birthday message every year. Why did you tell them your birthday?

  Why did you tell them anything about yourself? You think they care about the mind behind the face they can recognize from phone cameras wherever you go?

  Oh, they may care a little. After all, seeing your face in the background at photos taken at Disneyland often is great information. They don’t need other people’s phones for that though.

  Your phone is enough. There are enough jokes about covering your webcam so they can’t spy on you while you’re alone. Don’t worry, they can.

  Of course, you’ve seen the title. “How can my information be any more valuable than actual resources?” you may ask. You know the answer.

  How many ads have you seen for shirts—oh, wait, you like hoodies more, Facebook says. How many hoodies have you seen with your last name on it in your sidebar. They’re tempting, aren’t they?

  Well, you did give them your full name. What did you expect them to do with it? Capitalize it. Facebook is a free service; don’t you know how they make money?

  Your information is a resource. It’s the new black gold. Heck, it is the new gold. Marketing is an industry, and you are the target. Facebook is the crosshair, and your mouse is the trigger.

  Every time you like something, you’re opening yourself up for injury. Some people are so far gone they’re fish in a barrel. They take in the flakes of news articles to get the cold steel of a store’s pandering.

  Sometimes it doesn’t stop at shopping. Remember the political article you clicked on however long ago? They do. That information is quite valuable. You don’t even have to read the article. Likes are just as incarcerating.

  They think it’s interesting. You lean right, don’t you? That’s some great information. You know who would love that information? They do.

  Of course, they won’t just give your information to anyone. Only the top benefactors get to be in the know. Good thing lots of people are willing to give up a lot of money to be in the know.

  The 2.1 billion users have a lot of data to share. 50 million of them were tricked into giving their data recently. You could be one of them. After all, Facebook knows you just read headlines.

  Maybe you don’t. Maybe you’re a good little American, who reads news articles from both sides of the political spectrum and thinks for themselves. Or, you think you do.

  Facebook likes to deliver you content they think you’d like. Think of it as them delivering the best content to you out of the kindness of their hearts. Or think of it as blinders on a racehorse.

  You’re running to videos of puppies you’ll never get to pet or recipes you’ll never enjoy. Maybe you get updates from the Sheriff sometimes. But those are sad, aren’t they? You don’t like to look at those.

  Remember, a good Facebook user is one that doesn’t know what’s happening. Ignorance is the lifeblood of news. If you know things, you wouldn’t be on Facebook.

  Oh look, that lady had a baby. That’s sweet. Aren’t babies great? Facebook thinks so. They kiss babies all the time; how could they be bad.

  Haven’t you heard about Mark Zuckerberg’s philanthropy? He donated 46 billion dollars, after all. Maybe you’ve even heard of his donations. Facebook would have told you. But do you know where it went? What charity they supported?

  They gave their money to a private charity. That’s fine. Some charities can be private and do good. Do you know the name of the charity? It’s called the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation. Interesting name, is it not?

  That’s right. Facebook’s philanthropy is a thinly veiled bank transfer. Big surprise, a billionaire still controls his money. And his company is only amassing more wealth. The Facebook train is not slowing nor stopping.

  They continue to accrue an audience that seems unstoppable at this point. According to Zephoria.com, they get 5 new users every second. That’s just a continually bigger audience. More people to sell to.

  And you are one. There isn’t a statistic for deactivations. That’s not something they want advertised. Any signs of stopping are ignored for profit.

  They’re a darker corporation than you could imagine. This is just information they’ve made public. Imagine what they do without you knowing. Before you fill out your next update, read the terms and conditions.

  Maybe don’t. They like you better that way.