As the internet comes in more places and mobile users are increasing, technology is changing how we see the future trends. With many things that tech can ease life, the are many questions to answer and obstacles to overcome.
One of which is privacy. Or to be precise: security.
With the many online businesses that are giving their services, ranging from costly to totally free of charge, information about users are exchangeable. The more someone gives his/her identity, the more he/she is at risk of online privacy breach.
Typically, the biggest and most influenced company such as Google and Facebook, for example, have most of users' data. But they aren't the only ones that are having parts of your privacy. The more you use the internet, the more services you are registered to, the more newsletter you've subscribed to, the more apps you installed on your mobile devices, the more websites you browse, the more of you "willingly' give your data.
Technology is meant to aid humans in achieving the once was impossible: helping them in many things in life. But the more technology advances, the movement is becoming more inclusive and less distrusting. The shift from traditional way of communicating to digitized data transaction has made better decisions and less resources spent, but the aspects of technology demands more from users, and that is their privacy.
Tech invades privacy for one single golden goal: getting to know their users better to give better service. But the idea for people to trust technology more, is like giving their trusts to strangers.
Furthermore, technology and the internet are playing a dangerous game in the society. They're building their own systems to give more and expect less, but they're also creating a bigger gap between minorities and majorities, or the haves and have-nots.
Clearly, technology acts as a man-in-the-middle. Technology aids communication and data transaction by giving its services. Sharing is a primitive concept, but with technology, sharing has advanced to a whole new level where people aren't doing it alone anymore.
As sharing economy is here to stay, the rapidly expanding market is transforming social, economic and environmental practices in a rate that if users aren't able to get themselves accustomed to, they'll just get left behind.
One For The Money, Two For The Show
People have been buying things from strangers for years before the internet. To challenge competitors that were already in the business, new companies no matter what their size is, should scale. In default, this means more money and more resources to spend. They need to do local marketing and get themselves known in variety of places, and making sure that they're accessible.
By the introduction of the World Wide Web, people can start selling and buying things online. The use of technology basically facilitates efficiency of resources neglecting physical space and time. The efforts for businesses to become bigger has shrunk into the size of a monitor, marketing became much more easier, customer relations and public relations became more efficient. Businesses became more accessible to everyone, regardless of socioeconomic or geographic location.
Tech companies have a huge role in determining where and how devices, software and other gadgetry influence people's life. The more they're introducing new technology to the masses, the more they don't want to be controlled like traditional companies.
Most big tech companies gave away their services for free. In return, users are their products in which they're trying to sell to bidding advertisers. In order for ads to get maximum exposure and targeted, tech companies have to know the details of their users. This in turn enables them to pinpoint what ads appeal to which users.
Like traditional companies, tech companies have regulations to follow, and taxes to pay. But internet services aren't getting money from the products they're creating; they're getting money from products (users) that are interested to their services, in which they sell to advertisers.
What shapes the industry is that many internet companies that are offering free services are relying on showing ads whenever they can . This shapes the trend of how tech industry moves on the web.
As more people are relying to these "strangers", more data are collected, and more targeted ads will be shown.
Imagine this: when you wake up in the morning, your mobile device reminds you of meetings and the day's schedule. It's showing you news you probably like and alerting your of incoming traffic on your usual route and offers an alternative. At the same time, it's giving you the estimated arrival time and weather of your work place. On the way to work, you'll see that your mobile device is giving you some advices about where to get lunch that it thinks you'll like based on your social media friends' recommendations.
You have literally the world's information at your fingertip anywhere you are, and the world's information is digitized and tailored uniquely just for you.
With all those features occupying user's life, they're pampered with digital interference. How can the user can get all that if he/she isn't willingly provide some parts of his/her personal habits to tech companies?
On the web, there is no such thing as free things. And if you do get something free, there is a bargain.