While browsing the Internet, most of us have about five tabs open at a time. One tab open with homework, another with Spotify, Pinterest, Facebook, and maybe an online shopping tab to check out those tan wedges you saw at the mall.
The Internet is a daily staple for any college student, or human in this century for that matter. But, to what extent are we conscious of the trail that we leave behind as we click our lives away? With every click, we allow ourselves to be tracked, defined, and targeted by marketers as they develop consumer profiles based on our Internet use.
Aboutthedata.com is a website that allows us to log in by inputting basic information about ourselves such as name, address, and birthday. Then displays different categories of information that have been collected and used by marketers. The data includes our estimated household income, vehicles we own, marital status, interests, and how often and how much we spend while shopping online.
Although some of the information that displays is often incorrect, there is an option to edit what marketers know about you.
Knowledge is power, and finding out what is known about you and your family can feel comforting. While there is not much to do about the fact that (so-called) private information is documented thoroughly by our digital footprint, it is an interesting experiment to check out About the Data and see what info is out there.
Did you know your clicks are collected? How do you feel about it?
Reach Kellie at kelliegalentine@hercampus.com or follow her on Twitter!
(Image Source: http://www.sparklogix.com/edit-marketing-data-about-you/)