The Data the Frames Us

Remember the game “Guess Who?”? For those that are not familiar, it’s exactly what it sounds like. You have a very distinguished character from a series of cards and based on questions your opponent asks you about them, they can either determine – or fail at determining who it is. It’s very similar to the iPhone app game where you put the noun on your head, just in reverse. Regarding social media, Instagram, Facebook etc. Dig Data is like the ultimate opponent at guess who. This is the way I see it. Except instead of guessing exactly who you are, because it already knows that (most likely), it is putting together a “picture” of what you’re like, where you go, what you buy, and how you spend your time. The longer you are amerced in the inter web of Big Data the more “turns” it has to peg exactly who you are and what you’re about. Big Data has done that to me, fairly quickly, just because of the photos I post. For the sake of this assignment we will focus just on Instagram.

I like to think of myself as a mildly interesting person, but my hobbies are nothing out of the ordinarily. I enjoy fitness and travel and I have an affinity for cars. I also like hanging out with friends. Pretty basic stuff for a male college student of my age. I have had an Instagram for about 5 months now but based on the 18 posts that I have uploaded, I already get requests daily from fitness and travel pages. The sponsored ads that pop up, are almost exclusively fitness or automotive related.

It is interesting to note the geographic aspect of these photos. Weather or not I tag my location, I usually get some kind of local ad. I was at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans this past New Years and I posted a picture captioned, “Bourbon St. with the boys”. Within 24 hours Instagram was posting ads for Creole restaurants and sponsored photos from Tulane University. Interesting considering I did not tag my location. All I can think is somewhere in Instagram’s terms and conditions, I sign away permission to disclose the GPS feature on my phone. Regardless of weather you think this is innovative or invasive, it is certain that with every data upload, Instagram and other companies are getting more and more “Guess Who” questions right about you.

I think other inferences could be made about me through big data. Because I drive a truck, and live in North Carolina, go to a predominantly technical/agriculture/textile university, and am a white, protest male (which can all be discovered via social media photos with a little research) I would not be surprised in the future to see ads or pages directed toward me based on other assumptions of the demographic that I fall into. Hyper conservative political campaigns and ads for country music are stereotypes about the demographic that I fall into, yet they don’t necessarily correlate with me as an individual. But if data algorithms could be correct with those assumptions 75-80% of the time (or more) with their targets, I wouldn’t be surprised if in the near future they did start to run sponsors and advertisements that go with the stereotype of the demographic you fit into.

A couple recent Instagram posts.