A terribly executed reply to an article on a popular forum that I luckily decided not to post *whew*
This is in reference to an article I read online regarding "Big Data" - Facebook, Google, Amazon, web advertising, second and third-party middlemen, and the whole general data-mine profiteering of personal information.
It's too bad that we, as the users, aren't the ones to reap the financial benefits that Facebook, Google, etc. gets for mining our ("us" being the users) own personal info. We'd all be seriously loaded by now! Then again, if this were the case, said companies/corporations probably wouldn't be anywhere close what they are today, or even exist for that matter, therefore probably not making the payout we'd collect not nearly as sweet as they currently receive. We just can't win, I suppose. Hah.
OK, this is probably going to come off as a bit fruit-loopy and will undoubtedly be misconstrued in some way by some, but I'll take my chances and spit it out. I've no shame - I keep telling myself that...
So, as most of us already know, the people (i.e. users) whose info is getting mined, collected and sold off by and to the "Big Data world" is what's making these corps/companies so wealthy and/or is the entire reason for their existence in the first place! Meaning, many of them are absolutely nothing without us. Yet, even though all that data and info is originally and personally our own, we don't get a dime of it. It seems that keeping touch with long-distance friends is what justifies this for some companies as though we can't just pick up the phone or text those friends instead? But I digress from the point which I am at long last trying to make... This bizarre "relationship" we have with web services and "social networking sites" (need I really name who they are?) where we are choosing to essentially hand over our own lives, and freely, for them to sell and churn out a profit, is akin to a prostitute working for a pimp. Not to mention the slight feeling of being repeatedly violated more and more (in another way; not in a sexually/bodily way, of course!). There's definitely some parallel between these two "industries" in that exploitation is what they bank on, albeit the drug addiction, mental and physical health issues, and murder which normally goes with the former business (ie being whored out and virtually owned by evil pimp for his own income).
I know, I know, it's a just a wee far-fetched and an utterly crap analogy that is figuratively and quite literally stupid/laughable! But I can't help it that this metaphor continues to pop into my head more and more lately. Until I get a better analogy, this is where it'll stay. Besides, getting this off my chest and typed out (even if less than mediocre) was necessary and I feel better already. Plus I was bored and daydreaming when I start writing this.