Deception: A Big Data Dilemma
When I’m not in class, I’m working full-time or putting in hours at my internship, so naturally, I was skeptical about how much effort I could devote toward tracking my data contribution—and for that matter—how much of a contribution I could actually make. As a Media Studies major, I’m well-acquainted with data studies, analysis, and criticisms, but even I was surprised at just how much I contributed and the way in which I contributed.
On Saturday, January 16th, as I made my way into work for a large retail chain—I won’t be specific for privacy reasons—I figured my interaction with big data would be relatively minimal. After all, I wouldn’t be able to use my phone—the main culprit for my data dealings—for the majority of my shift. However, what I came to realize is that I had another association with data that I wasn’t quite considering: one that is both thought-provoking and somewhat disconcerting.
Over the course of an eight-hour shift, I worked predominantly on a cash register, checking customers out in the final step of their transactions. In order to access the sales prices that we advertise, a customer must be a registered cardholder within our system. Therein lies the proverbial rub. As I am prompted to say, the card is essentially free, at least in a monetary sense. What I fail to mention; however, is that what the customer isn’t paying me in cold cash, he or she is paying me in free data. In order to register for one of these accounts—or cards—a customer must provide name, telephone number, email address, etc. All of this information, I can only assume based off of the better reasoning I’ve acquired from criticizing media technologies over the past few years, is being fed into a database or being aggregated at a higher level of understanding.
Ultimately, we are using this data—in a manner likely unbeknownst to the customer—to track consumer purchases, and target them, as well as suggest products for them down the road. On the 16th specifically, I scanned over 500 items for over 150 customers. I also registered 20 previously unregistered customers for our “free savings” program. Long story short, I’m titled a customer service agent, but I might as well be coded as an hourly data collector.
More than anything, what this assignment proves to me is that I’m just another rung along the ladder in our data-driven world, whether I like it or not. It is hard to imagine being able to opt out of inclusion in such a world, given that we are so immersed in it that we oftentimes don’t even realize the extent of our own involvement. Only time will tell if systems and media through which to collect data—such as the one at my place of employment—become sophisticated enough to exclude or oppress members who choose not to indulge or feed them. Might a person be denied a prescription or product that they need to maintain basic life functions because they won’t surrender their data or cooperate with the status quo? I hope not, but whether or not we are headed in that direction as a society should be discussed.
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Strangely I have not really thought about the data aggregation that is involved in just signing up for a savings card before. I use my parent’s home phone number when I use the savings card at the grocery store, which must make their data look a bit odd- they grocery shop on Sundays in Durham and I go whenever in Raleigh, and tend to buy much less than them (they have four cats to feed and there’s two of them, compared to the one of me and no cats of my own to feed). It is weird however that I can give a stranger my parent’s home phone number and get a discount on my food in return.
I too work in retail where I have to ask customers for their information. In turn the customer will receive “peak points” and cash back on purchases. I often find it odd at how relaxed people are to give up there information. Often times I don’t even have to get through my entire break down of what the program is before people start to tell me their number.. People are so numb to the whole idea of privacy
Of course, studies have shown that at least with the loyalty rewards cards at grocery stores, you’re not actually getting a discount. The discounted price with the loyalty card ends up being the same as what other similar grocery stores charge without a loyalty card. You’re just getting charged MORE if you don’t use the card. In that way, we’re already being penalized for not giving up our data.