The Digital Past

Thinking about the information that computers/search engines have on us is kinda disturbing to me. The example with the Safeway grocery store brings light to how outside sources have so much information on us and what we like. They know what our preferences are and use that to suggest new items and therefore are able to make more money. On their part, it’s a good way to keep consumers coming back, and potentially gain new consumers because their current consumers recommend the store to their friends/family. However, I’m not too concerned about how a company knows what groceries I buy. It’s the fact that databases have information on us that date way back.  How much information is too much? I don’t know if it’s just me, but I think it’s a little alarming that the internet can just predict things about us based on our previous actions. We’re always being watched and the information is always being recorded. Google uses our location when we are browsing. This may be convenient for finding a store or service place, but how do we know that Google isn’t using our location for something else. Or if someone else is tracking/stalking us through this. All of this might sound like paranoia, but it’s just something to think about. Granted, there are settings that can be used to prevent our location from being actively shared, but the majority of search engines keep our preferences on file. I like the idea of easier access to the things I like, but it makes us more predictable and less diverse.