In today’s society, it is becoming more and more popular to use a credit card instead of cash. With our high speed of life and wanting things done right away, it is not a shock to me that most people pay with credit. Since I am a waitress I am not “most people” and after reading the article called “How Companies Learn Your Secrets” by Dihigg, I am counting my blessings that I still use cash.
In the article, he says that companies what to learn and know everything they can about their customers. Now, some people may find this to be a positive thing. I, however, believe this to be something awful. Yes, if that company knows everything about your life, they will be able to give you everything you are looking for with just one visit to one store. But my question is who wants a complete stranger to know everything about their life? I am not just talking about little things, I’m talking about your…
- age
- whether you have kids
Acceptance marks displayed on top left of this sign (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
- whether you are married
- where you live in town
- your salary
- what credit cards you carry
- divorce
- where you went to college
- what topics you talk/research online
- political views
- what you read
- # of cars you own
If it wasn’t bad enough to just have someone know all this about you, they also have people analyzing these parts of your life. It completely freaks me out that a complete stranger can learn and “analyze” every move you make in life just from shopping with a credit card, or filling out a survey, or opening an email from them, or calling their help line. I definitely think there is a danger when it comes to having a complete stranger know everything about your life.
Safety In The Machine 