(2021). [Image]. Retrieved 14 October 2021, from https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/this-new-course-is-teaching-kids-to-be-cyber-security-experts-4027836.
“Data is the most valuable resource.” After the 2016 U.S. election, Cambridge Analytica became famous for improperly obtaining data from 50 million Facebook users. After the scandal was exposed, it was announced on May 2, 2018, to “immediately stop all operations.” The company used to work for Brexit and analyzed data from the Obama campaign, and eventually went bankrupt because it supported Trump. This documentary reveals that the dark side and complexity behind politics and tough competition are the root causes of all this. It is not only Facebook that apologizes, nor should Cambridge Analytica go bankrupt. In the documentary, it can intuitively discover that many loopholes are worth discovering and thinking about in the world constructed by the modern Internet and the development trend from the emergence of the Internet to the present.
(2021). [Image]. Retrieved 14 October 2021, from https://pixabay.com/illustrations/facebook-meeting-social-people-260818/.
The high position of the Internet in modern society
The use of mobile Internet has penetrated daily life through intelligent electronic devices, enabling consumers to access and share information at any time. As the global mobile data traffic is expected to increase nearly seven times between 2016 and 2021, the development of the Internet and future trends are robust. Devices that support network communication, such as intelligent electronic products, have developed into indispensable tools for life in human society.（”Topic: Mobile internet usage worldwide”, 2021） In 2020, the number of independent mobile Internet users was 4.28 billion, indicating more than 90% of Internet users in the world. (“Topic: Mobile internet usage worldwide”, 2021). The development of mobile Internet communication is becoming more and more rapid, and the functions are more convenient. It is expected that Internet usage will increase in the future. Today, mobile Internet traffic accounts for more than 55% of total network traffic.(“Topic: Mobile internet usage worldwide”, 2021). Mobile connections account for an even greater share of web page views in mobile-first markets such as Asia and Africa.(“Topic: Mobile internet usage worldwide”, 2021). According to these data, the mobile Internet has occupied a significant position in daily life. For example, the most critical communication method for human beings is social software, and Facebook is one of the most popular mobile communication applications globally. Facebook currently has 2.9 billion monthly active users (MAU). （Dean, 2021）According to an investor report in the previous quarter, MAU increased by 7.18% year on year. 60.42% of global active Internet users visit Facebook every month. (Dean, 2021). It is precisely because so much data shows the user’s usage and dependence on Facebook that there will be situations in the documentary. The information becomes the most valuable asset. The Internet was invented, and the emergence of social software was initially intended to facilitate communication and make the transmission and acquisition of information faster and more convenient. However, now it has become an era dominated by the Internet. Internet information controls the minds of users invisibly.
Real fake news
Through statistical data and experience of the current social situation, it can be found that the Internet occupies an important position in all aspects, and it can even be understood and summarized as human beings living in an era and world built by the Internet. With the rapid development of information dissemination, mobile communication equipment popularized the world. In addition to the fast speed of information dissemination, another characteristic is that dissemination is enormous. When fake news is constantly pushed in front of users, the constant appearance of similar fake news is brainwashing for readers. As mentioned in the documentary, Trump published some fake news that Hillary discriminated against people of color by learning that some black users supported Hillary Clinton and pushed it to these users to convince them that the information was all Real and thus get votes.（）Users who do not know of this see the information that the manipulator wants them to see, and they firmly believe in it, even as their own beliefs, which proves that false information continues to spread and becomes true.
The Matrix Founded by the Internet
Trump was able to obtain votes by pushing false information to potential users because of the extensive database provided by Facebook. Facebook Records all users’ use of the Internet and social software, including very detailed personal preferences, such as likes eating at that restaurant or watching a movie in a movie theater in which location in the city today. Even these details about personal privacy life can be recorded, not to mention political positions that will generate controversy on the Internet. It is easy for all social networking platforms, including Facebook, to obtain this information. More and more users are actively posting information and comments on social accounts every day, which will become experimental data and stored in large databases. Social platforms headed by Facebook are like building a powerful matrix. All users who use social platforms, that is, most of the world’s population, are an imposing number, and they all live in an almost private and transparent environment. The emergence of large databases is like turning all the details of human society, such as living habits and personal experiences, into data circulating on the Internet, making the real world a string of codes that can be obtained at will. The manipulator of these data has established another transparent empire on the Internet and has absolute control over it.
(2021). [Image]. Retrieved 14 October 2021, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/thejointstaff/37027198861.
Data leader: have absolute power.
By obtaining user important data information to manipulate the release and dissemination of information, Trump’s vote incident is apparent and heavy evidence. Users often receive some push advertisements. The advertisements are just related to the recently needed items or the information of interest. The user can easily click on the advertisement or directly consume, so the advertisement is pushed behind the scenes. The person gets income. These are the benefits these manipulators obtain through big data and the opportunity to gain manipulation by probing the user’s private information. Nevertheless, these business benefits are just the tip of the iceberg brought by big data. In the era when human beings rely on technology and Internet information, it can be said that they have gained much power by mastering large databases and manipulating the dissemination of Internet information. By secretly monitoring the user’s browsing information and mastering the power of pushing, it can control the user’s thoughts and choices. In the documentary, Trump uses the big data of Facebook users obtained through Cambridge Analytica to push the content of his speech to supporters to consolidate support, find and win potential supporters, and weaken opponents by spreading fake news about opponents. Supporter. These incidents were used in political struggles and directly had a severe impact on the rights and interests of the country. This kind of manipulation has penetrated the lives of users and exists in a false world. The information they see is what the manipulator wants them to see, and it is even treated as a test product. In other words, the manipulator’s power is not only on the Internet information but also directly controls the lives of others.
Summary: the future development of the Internet
Although the documentary is only a form of artistic expression, the content records that the user’s big data is misused as a weapon because of privacy leaks. Such incidents are crimes. However, the excessive dependence of users on the Internet is also the reason for crimes. The times and technology are advancing, developers and users should pay more attention to privacy, and the right to data should become the most basic human right. Properly use the Internet for communication, focusing on the privacy leakage correction of the network platform. Through this approach, increase the development space of the Internet and obtain a brighter future in the Internet era.
Reference list
Dean, B. (2021). How Many People Use Facebook In 2021?. Backlinko. Retrieved 14 October 2021, from https://backlinko.com/facebook-users.
Topic: Mobile internet usage worldwide. Statista. (2021). Retrieved 14 October 2021, from https://www.statista.com/topics/779/mobile-internet/.
Sherr, I. (2021). Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, data mining and Trump: What you need to know. CNET. Retrieved 14 October 2021, from https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-cambridge-analytica-data-mining-and-trump-what-you-need-to-know/.
Detrow, S. (2021). NPR Cookie Consent and Choices. Npr.org. Retrieved 14 October 2021, from https://www.npr.org/2018/03/20/595338116/what-did-cambridge-analytica-do-during-the-2016-election.
Shahid, H. (2021). What Is Internet Privacy & Why It Matters so much in 2021? – PureVPN Blog. PUREVPN. Retrieved 14 October 2021, from https://www.purevpn.com/blog/what-is-internet-privacy-scty/.
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