My Digital Shadow

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As a cause of losing my phone last month, I had to completely delete all histories on social media platforms, photos, etc.. therefore it was more of a fresh start. I did however notice the amount of surveillance on my last phone. As we are constantly on our phones and our social media platforms become intertwined, I have noticed all the information that my phone tracks. Wether I would be searching a specific thing on google and find a sponsorship ad on a website or Instagram the next day, it has somewhat become “normalized” to see. On the other hand, what I had not noticed until much later, is how my phone would track the exact locations. Sitting in a restaurant with my s/o last January in Achrafieh, I had noticed how my phone asked me “did you enjoy your stay at pepper tree.” Although we had not utilized google maps to reach the destination, it tracked my location and the time of my stay at the restaurant. Moreover, I noticed how these notifications tend to pop up significantly more if you are visiting a foreign city. As I went to visit my mother in London last year, I noticed that my phone would send push notifications through GoogleMaps after every location I had been in. I find it quite strange as to why they seem so beyond interested to record every minor detail in our lives, especially how capitalistic this feature has become, as companies are more intrigued in consumer behavior, they tend to create certain products on the market based on interest, actions, or behavior. This is ultimately, a violation of my privacy, and I never condoned or accepted certain terms or agreements on the stalking of my phone; it’s immoral and disgusting.