Tag, I’m it.
I haven’t posted many pictures to Facebook in that past few years, for whatever reason Facebook doesn’t have the same allure that other social media outlets of today hold . Though I haven’t posted any pictures of myself, my mother and friends have tagged me in several. So my timeline is filled with photos of me, that I didn’t take part in posting. This had me questioning how that data is interpreted in comparison to the photos I post of myself. How does Facebook or Instagram take Into account tagged photos versus those I have posted myself. tagged content does fall into a range all it’s on in either platform, for Facebook it’s a tagged photos album and for Instagram it’s a tag handle on your profile page.
The most recent series of photos I was tagged in was an album my mom created after we had a Christmas eve photo shoot (loose use of the term) in my hometown. All photos were taken with an iPhone, and all the photos were uploaded through the Facebook app. One thing that was interesting about the photos is that when my mom went to upload the photos to Facebook, the app had already generated suggestions for what photos to upload and tagged me in some of the photos. It’s pretty wild to think that since my mom has uploaded a numerous amount of photos of me that Facebook already recognizes me whenever she posts new photos. Along with facial recognition software, the app also used geo location from my moms phone to generate a map of where the photos were taken. With all this information available for people to see, (where I’m at, who I’m with, when I’m at that location) even without my consent to have it available. Until I go through and untangle myself from all of the photos I’ve been grouped in, there will be a constant stream of data cultivated in my name, without even having to generate the data myself. I often consider opting out for this reason, but the reality is that the stream of data I have created while interacting on these social media platforms is somewhat everlasting. My concern now as I have stepped back and have become somewhat idle in posting to Facebook, is not so what data streams I am creating for myself, but what other people are creating for me.
I often think about the data streams created for me too. I’m not too active on Facebook, but I am often tagged by the same set of people in similar areas such as downtown Raleigh or close to where I live. It sometimes feels weird that a website can trace your patterns so well, but we usually see it more as a convenience because it saves us from having to put in extra work in going back and finding out where this one picture was taken and having to type out all the names of the people that are also in the photo with you. Without even meaning to, we have a data trail that we barely even contributed to.
So I have the same situation as you where I don’t post to Facebook myself but I am tagged in pictures. I do get tagged in pictures by my mom and often in those pictures she also puts our location, which means people that I am friends with and that my mom is friends with (I don’t know most of them) can see and comment on them. I have gotten comments on pictures my mom tags me in from people I don’t know at all. The data being collected on me from those posts and Facebook check-ins by my mom reveals that I am from Durham, I like the DPAC and the Durham Bulls, and other things that are true but it also presents the idea that I am into running and I’m really not.
My mom has become somewhat obsessed with Facebook over the past year. She already was super into photographing everything from everyday events to formal family Christmas pictures, so I guess Facebook is the icing on the cake for her. She finally has something to do with all those pictures besides making endless Shutterfly cards and calendars. In fact, when she posts a picture on Facebook, I can guarantee you she will get at least three times the amount of likes that I would. And she never forgets to tag me so that, like you, it shows up on my timeline. I’m always amazed at the facial recognition tool as well!