What Surveillance Misses

Why jumping to conclusions is risky

Matt Klein
Aug 9, 2017 · 2 min read

In Mark Bartholomew’s book, Adcreep: The Case Against Modern Marketing, Neil Richards’ idea of “intellectual privacy” is highlighted, which should change how marketers approach their data and targeting.

“Richard makes a normative claim that processes of thinking and making up one’s mind about a subject fare best when performed free from outside exposure. To be truly valuable thoughts need time to incubate in private before they are able to be expressed publicly. When other entities can see the books we read, music we listen to, and the websites we consult, this intellectual refuge evaporates.”

For the larger part of ad targeting and data gathering, the entities in which collect our information blindly skip over the “But”, significantly altering what makes each of us and our decisions unique.

You bought a business book on Amazon, BUT _____ .

The answer to “But”, completely changes what this bit of data means to Amazon, your credit card, and potential marketers.

Just because you bought a business book on Amazon via Prime, doesn’t make you a eager, savvy-business student. There are countless contexts and variables which are not considered when attempting to understand You.

For example, you bought a business book on Amazon, BUT the shipping address was not your home’s. (The book was a gift for someone else.)

Or, you bought a business book on Amazon, BUT you absolutely despised it. (You’re actually not interested in business literature.)

When we consider the culmination of all of our online activity and consumer behaviors, many of our actions lack the invaluable description and motivation which accurately paint who we are, and why we’re doing what we’re doing.

As Neil Richard points out, we need time to incubate reliable opinions and tastes free from onlookers. A Like, Save, Forward, Buy, Watch or Listen do not reveal the full picture of who we are, and if anything paints an unreliable and questionable one… One in which neglects to answer the most valuable piece of data: But, what?

On Advertising

We’re an open community of Executives, Strategists, Designers, Developers and Students alike, skeptically examining communication, technology and culture.

Matt Klein

Written by

Cultural Researcher & Business Consultant at Sparks & Honey. Fascinated with the relationships between psychology, technology and culture. [KleinKleinKlein.com]

On Advertising

We’re an open community of Executives, Strategists, Designers, Developers and Students alike, skeptically examining communication, technology and culture.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade