UNIT 6: SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE INTERNET
My name‿ is‿ Emma. I do about‿ eightyeigh-dy percent‿ of my shopping‿ online,│ an(d) the argumen(t) that this‿ is simply laziness misses what has‿ actually changed:│ convenience has been traded for‿ a loss‿ of control‿ over my own data.
The convenience‿ is‿ undeniable,│ an(d) delivery infrastructure‿ in my country is now so good that‿ a refun(d) takes two days. However,│ the same consumer│ who can return‿ a pair‿ of boots‿ instantly is‿ also profiled by every click. My feed‿ is personalised to a degree│ that Ithad I find‿ unsettling,│ an(d) the marketplace model makes‿ it difficul(t) to know│ who is‿ actually selling:│ a counterfeit produc(t) can be listed by a third partypar-dy on‿ a platform that takes no responsibility for‿ it. The seller disappears,│ an(d) the platform keeps‿ its reputation.
What concerns me more than counterfeits‿ is the concentration‿ of the market. Two or three companies now set the terms for millions‿ of small businesses,│ and‿ a monopoly that controls delivery is‿ a monopoly that controls price. I keep‿ a written list│ before‿ I shop,│ because half‿ of my basket‿ is‿ impulse purchases. Data protection‿ is the issue that will be negotiated‿ in the nex(t) decade,│ and‿ I would rather‿ it were not negotiated privately.