Steven
Dixon
Advertising
Director
I never really got the point of taking one picture and sharing it on several apps and social media’s. I mean, you got Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, blogs, and on and on and on. I can’t say that I’m not guilty, I have Facebook and I post pictures too; but geez I don’t share my every insignificant moment and ridiculously cute pictures with the world – who really cares that my 2 year-old Bombay can fit into any box it’s paws touch?
My wife was about to download and install the latest app sensation, Instagram. This is a free app that over 100 million people use to comment on and share photos, with the ability to customize, with friends and family. Instead of the usual motions of pressing install then accept and download, she decided to look at the drop boxes a little more closely for a change to see what the app can access from the phone.
After being astonished and then showing me, She and I found that this app accesses a lot more than just your phone; it accesses your life.
Upon this revelation, we decided to look into some other apps to see what they have the potential of doing, by looking into the terms of use in the drop boxes provided. We found that Shopkick, which rewards you points for scanning and buying particular items, which you then use for various items, can use your phone’s microphone to listen in on your shopping trips; it’s activated by certain devices in the store that produces an inaudible sound.
Another instance is that any Google App has access to your global positioning system and can track you throughout the day. We also noticed that different phones (she has the Google Nexus and I have the HTC Rezound) reveal different information, even though these permissions apply to all those who decide to accept the terms and download the applications.
So what’s the purpose of the snooping?
Well application developers don’t recognize their snooping as any crime at all, they consider it a feature; a way for the app, the developer, or the company it represents, to develop further and potentially offer more and/or better services to the consumer.
It turns out this is a gold mine for marketers worldwide. Just think about it; hundreds of thousands of apps have access to your phone and your social media outlets to gather all kinds of information – your age, sex, marital status, where you work, where you live, what you like, who you like, even who you talk to and message.
I just don’t understand why some apps have access to certain features of your phone or personal information that has nothing to do with the app itself, nor its purpose to the holder.
Take for example Netflix, which has four stars and over 10 million users. It knows when you’re calling someone, who you’re talking to and for how long. It even has access to what you are doing with your phone (including, but not limited to, texting, calling and emailing) including personal and private information.
Lastly, it has access to all accounts that you have access to via smartphone. If it’s on the Internet or within an app that requires a user name/email address and password, guess what; Netflix knows it too.
According to mobithinking.com, there are 1,000,000,000 smartphone users in use worldwide. That number does not include landlines or average cellular phones – more people have access to smartphones than people have access to running water. The Scientific American website states that about 5,000,000 cell phone towers have been placed on the planet; studies have been done to see the possible cancerous effects of mobile phones and towers and even down to research on smartphone addiction.
When the typical smartphone has more technology than Apollo 11, we are in, no doubt, a global technology age; there is practically no way to get around it. With nearly 1 in 3 people in the United States alone being a smartphone user, it looks like there is virtually no information sacred.
Consequently, having some of these apps, we are now constantly seeing in the news that politicians are being ousted from their political realm because of pictures they take and send. Companies, apps, and banks alike are being hacked and information hijacked monthly;
All of the above information is actually part of a larger and continuously growing problem – a new type of addiction; I guess you could say it’s gone viral.
Could you go without your phone for an hour? How about a day, or even (nay I say it) a week? Are you an addict but don’t realize it? So many of us rely on our phones as if theywere the next best thing since oxygen.
Don’t believe me? Again, let’s look at the numbers. HuffingtonPost.com cited research done by Time with over 5,000 people from eight countries and found the following:
• 84 percent of the respondents stated they couldn’t go a single day without their phone.
• 64 percent of Brazilians bare all to someone with a provocative picture (hint, hint to you 25 percent of America that do the same)
• 50 percent of Americans sleep with their phone next to them (80% of those were 18-24).
• 33 percent experienced anxiety after a short amount of time without their cell phone.
• 24 percent said they used text messaging for rendezvousing with someone they were having an affair with (56 percent of those were Chinese, and 10% were American ranging from 18-35).
• 20 percent check their phones at least every 10 minutes.
• 20 percent of Americans asked someone out on a date via text
So in conclusion, start taking a closer look at some of the apps that you decide might be a good thing to have or that you think will assist your life better, try to be more aware of your app-tions.
Additionally, consider the suggestion of going retro; enjoy and experience life a little more without your phone connected to you like an extra appendage, don’t be so reliant on it. By all means, have fun and share it however you like, but, just remember you don’t have to first check in and Instagram at every opportunity.