The Personalization of the Internet & Maintenance of the Self.
In this day and age, the Internet has become more and more of a personal commodity used by the masses. There are so many sites and services where you are asked to personalize and create what is perfect for you. From settings on a shopping website to playing games and even social media platforms and blogs, it is all about you. The profile encourages you to input favorite movies, books, music artists, sports teams, and so on to tell your friends who you are. You can even decide who on your friends list sees specific information. While on Facebook I always notice ads on the side that have nothing to do with me or my interests. Over time, that has changed. Now there are ads from sites I have visited, pages I have liked, and interests that I have shared via articles posted or videos watched. For a while they even featured an option where you could say that the ad was not something you were interested in or that it did not apply to you (I am not sure if it is there now since I have Ad Blocker on my browser). They even have contests on who can make the best personalization of a product. An example from my own experience would be the Lay’s “Do Us a Flavor” contest hosted on Facebook. Users were invited to create their own flavor of Lay’s chips, decide what kind of chip it would be made on (regular, wavy, or kettle cooked), and tell the company why they deserve the grand prize of $1 million (I created Kettle Cooked Spicy Guacamole). The four finalists had varied options, from wavy mango salsa, regular cappuccino, baked mac & cheese all the way to wasabi ginger. The options were limitless. One thing that is not realized is that even though customers get to vote for their favorite, the company also has to keep in mind what options would be marketable, which may affect the outcome of the contest results.
What is not realized is that even though the power of the individual is encouraged, it comes with a set of unspoken rules. In the Andrejevic reading, the author says, “The interactive nature of the Web…opens marketers to limitless opportunities for personalization and dialogue” (Andrejevic, 24). Because these advertisers and companies have the information that you use (such as websites visited, items bought, sites liked/followed on social media, people interacted with, etc.) they can target you and specify exactly what you need to see to get you to go to use their services. They are essentially “offloading some of the duties of consumer interactions onto consumers themselves” (24). However, what you choose to use has to be in line with what the company finds acceptable to have their name on. For example, in the Andrejevic reading, the NIKEiD project was talked about. People were allowed to customize the sneakers with “freedom to choose and freedom to express who you are,” when that was not the case. When Jonah Peretti wanted to get the word “sweatshop” printed on the sneakers to give credit to “who really made the sneakers,” Nike did not let that happen. This would make them look bad if their brand was connected to the word sweatshop, whether that fact was true or not. Last thing they would need is this going viral and causing a PR scandal that the company could not control, since all it takes now is one status, tweet, or blog post.
The main goal of the control of the personalization is to not critique those who are allowing you to be an “individual.” Most of these companies fear the worst when it comes to people gathering to protest something. In the Doctorow reading, there is a point made about being able to support causes that you choose by meeting in that social space with like-minded people. That is how revolutions in countries began, how protests are planned, and attention is gathered. For instance, the Ferguson hashtag generated attention from news outlets in a matter of days after the shooting. These groups can also be infiltrated by the resistance (ex. Cops in Ferguson to find protest sites), which makes them hot spots to be watched. With this comes the problem of anonymity. When you tweet or post something, it is linked to you. So being part of a revolution can have repercussions.
So is the maintenance of being you a chore? It can be. I have often had to change my profile picture after a certain amount of time because I feel like it is old. A lot of people do this. Posting pictures and statuses have to be done every so often for you to stay “updated.” By updating your profile you are also making sure you are being seen in the way you want to be. Last thing anyone needs is to be misinterpreted because of an old status or picture.
Andrejevic, M. (2007). Three Dimensions of iCulture. In ISpy: Surveillance and power in the interactive era (pp. 22-51). Lawrence, Kan.: University Press of Kansas.
Doctorow, C. (2012, January 3). The Internet is the Best Place for Dissent to Start. Retrieved November 23, 2014, from http://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2012/jan/03/the-internet-best-dissent-start
