Ethics of Data Collection

I am constantly amazed at how much personal information can be gathered on individuals through the use of digital mediums. Whether it is my naivety or the sheer speed at which technological advancements are taking place, I find the amount of personal information that is openly accessible or searchable by companies both incredible and disturbing.

I find the topic of the ethical boundaries of data collection and understanding the fine balance of breaching privacy versus trying to understand your consumer an extremely interesting and difficult subject matter to understand. I am torn between what is acceptable and what we as individuals leave ourselves exposed to when we willing choose to participate in social media. From a business and or marketer’s perspective I can identify with the benefits of such companies as RapLeaf. They position themselves as providing a “more personalizable world” for their customers’ purpose. They offer a means by which companies can tailor their advertisements, campaigns and online experiences of their users. However, the underlying question is to what extent is information sharing appropriate and not an invasion of privacy- whether known or known by the user. With the amount of data RapLeaf has collected, they have been able to segment individuals into over 400 categories. As an individual who’s demographic, internet activity and personal interests could easily be analyzed, I am frightened that strangers have access to my personality and interests.

I am not one that is overly active or engaged with social media. I have never established a myspace or twitter account and I sparingly use Facebook. As many may identify themselves as, I use Facebook to keep up with friends, the occasional profile “stalking”, and as a time pass. I hide my pictures and only allow a select group of people to have access to my wall. My activity almost begs the question why I even have an account. By taking these precautions, I hope that I am being smart about my privacy options and taking precautions to minimize any unsolicited attention via my interaction and exposure. However, there seems to be constant evolution of means of data collection that I will never be able to protect myself from. As I become more and more aware of companies like RapLeaf, I have become increasingly skeptical and uneasy with online presence.

RapLeaf offers a service with a tremendous amount of valuable customer insights. The degree of detailed information that they can tap into on an individual basis can and has completely transformed the nature of marketing. They offer analysis that allows companies to target their key segments more efficiently. They also benefit the consumer as you are not bombarded with non targeted advertisements and may actually be presented with information that fits your needs and peaks your interest. When you are satisfied do you forget that you have been tapped into?  

I also find it ironic that RapLeaf states that customers can physically opt out of their database. Shouldn’t it be the other way around, where consumers can opt to be included in such a database of personal information gathering? I also found it interesting that it was mentioned that RapLeaf’s competitive advantage over its competitors is sharing names—whether legal or not. They have an abundant amount of personal information on their consumers at their fingertips, but the final tipping point is a name identifier.  As for the location services data collection mentioned in the Google and Apple article, I do not feel as though my privacy is being invaded. While these companies are gathering information on my location for their own business development, I somehow don’t view this as intrusive as it seems so abstract and disconnected from my daily interactions. I also think feeling of invasion is avoided as location services are associated with offering a positive experience.  The extended services that come along with this feature through various phone applications, is actually a handy and convenient tool. For example, the Social Living application, through location services, is able to tell display all the local deals that are available to me at that time. Since I am benefiting from this feature, it seems less intrusive and I tend to overlook what is actually taking place.  

When considering these tactics I think it’s important to take into consideration the different ages and demographics of consumers that are effected by data collection. Each age group’s reactions will differ significantly, as the definition of privacy has changed with the comfort of and exposure to technology and the internet. For my parents, all of these tracking metrics are so unfamiliar and. For millennials, we are intrigued but may still feel invaded. Even though we have grown up with the internet, it is still hard for us to grasp how much of our habits and interests are being exploited.  

Overall, I am still confused on how I feel towards internet data collection agencies such as RapLeaf and location service collection modes implemented by Google and Apple. On one hand, it doesn’t bother me as I choose to partake in online activities and often benefit from tailored services. On the other hand I feel as though we as consumers and engagers should be more aware, educated and protected from such institutions.

Creativity

            I really enjoyed reading Jonah Leher’s article titled “How to be Creative.” I have more recently found defining creativity and gauging my own creativity a difficult challenge. As articulated in the article, creativity seems to have become a catch all phrase used to describe almost anything new or unique. More recently, with internship interviews and tackling the question “Talk about a time when you were creative” I have been forced to analyze my own creativity.  I struggled with trying to articulate a time when I thought was exuberantly creative and whether or not I could even use that adjective to describe myself. I don’t know if I fully understand if creativity can simply be learned or if you just need to the right resources available to you to become creative/ innovative.  Growing up, I was always jealous of how easily my brother was able to come up with creative solutions and or activities. He has always had a knack for thinking outside of the box, and never seems to exhaust the same ideas. My family always joked that since he attended Montessori school his “free spirited way of thinking” has always deviated him from the norm in terms of approaching problems.

            I have been learning and performing an Indian classical dance form, Kuchipudi, for the past 14 years. The entire premise of the art form is to take on a new persona and become the character that you are playing. We wear elaborate costumes and heavy amounts of make-up in order to make this come to life. I have incessantly been told that by participating in this art form I am taking on a new level of creativity. However, my perception on creativity of the dance form has been altered. On one hand, I have been taught how to wear these outfits, how to perform this art form and how to better connect with these character roles. It seems that my ability to dance has simply become a skill set that I have acquired and perfected rather than a creative outlet. On the other hand, I also understand that there is a boundary between learning skills sets and being able to connect with the art form and take a performance or embodiment of character to the next level of connectivity. My dance skills have helped me tap into my inner creativity by enabling the use of these tools to portray a different me.        

            For the past four years I worked for a company that constantly hyped creativity and innovative solutions within the organization, but unfortunately an environment conducive to that behavior was not promoted. Leher mentions that often focusing too much can be a hindrance to creativity, and that is a similar situation that I faced at work. I worked in an extremely time sensitive industry, where customer satisfaction was always priority. I was always putting out fires and focused on achieving our client’s goals, rather than having available time and resources to think creatively and strategically. Each day I was forced to do the same routine behavior and often felt that I was losing the ability to be creative at all. One way that I think creativity could have been promoted, would have been by incorporating a metric for creativity as a part of our performance reviews. It would lead to a heavily subjective measurement, but it would help to hold the company and employees accountable for such initiatives.

            I believe that it takes a combination of both individual and group thought to be capable of achieving creativity.  Leher mentions that diverse experiences are a key to creating or encouraging creativity and I strongly agree with that assumption. In particular, the idea of having multiple dots and connecting them resonated with me. I believe that experiencing different skills, people, fields etc. enables an individual to think outside of their normal frameworks. By identifying similarities and dissimilarities from multiple experiential activities, new idea generation and new ways of thinking can take place.  We briefly mentioned in Wednesday’s class the idea of groupthink, which I thought this was an interesting and applicable concept. Tying this back to new experiences, learning from your peers or group members is a prime way in which to shed light on a new ways of thinking, but it can also lead to a lack of generation of thought.  

            I appreciated the way in which Leher describes different creative types of problems and creative processes. Honestly, I was a little cynical when I first read through each description, but after some thought and personal associations they make sense in terms of understanding creativity. I could especially associate myself with the Get Groggy and See the World types that were mentioned.

Get Groggy: I am a morning person, but I have found that I often have my most creative thoughts take place late at night when I am not the most alert. I feel as though my thoughts are less tainted by stress and they are not forced into frameworks of thoughts. I am able to think more freely, which allows for my thoughts to be more open ended.

See the World: I have been extremely fortunate to have lived and studied abroad in multiple countries. My experiences abroad had a significant and meaningful impact on my open mindedness and perception of situations. While abroad I was constantly learning and expanding my understanding of how different cultures engage with one another. This exposure has allowed to me to think outside of my personal experiences, and to have a greater appreciation of the big picture. I am able to look at the same problem from multiple angles and understand how solutions can be aligned in a meaningful and perhaps creative manner.  

Potential Paper Topic: Social Media and Non-Profit Interactions

From an early age, volunteering and socially oriented initiatives have been a large part of my life. Personally, a switch went off during a volunteer activity that transformed volunteering from a chore to a passion. Since then, I have constantly been curious as to what motivates and influences each individual to participate in volunteer activities. Is it a feeling of obligation, a belief in making a difference, or just a reason to feel good about oneself? This topic has been explored in depth, but I am interested in understanding “interaction” with non-profits and how this definition has changed over the years with the integration of social media. 

I am not sure if this topic can be shaped into an insightful research topic as it may not be a deep insight and or there may not be enough information available. My thoughts may not be following the right path, but here are some elements that I would like to focus on.

I want to explore how social media has transformed non-profit engagement and experiences for those that choose to participate. I would like to see how this adaptation has been an influencer and how it has successfully elicited participation. I am not sure if this construct has tapped into something deeper with users in terms of design and creating a relationship or if it is just another fleeting medium that people interact with but are not heavily invested within. 

It might useful to divide researching interaction based on the segments targeted via social media:

1) Donors

2) Volunteers

3) Advocates

Each group has different needs and each are influenced in different manners. Gathering information on what drives their individual/segment interaction and needs might lead to some meaningful insights as to what their goals are and how social media helps them accomplish them.

Here are few areas that I would like to research:

- Understanding my people aren’t engaged and how social media has changed that interaction

- Explore what social media has done for users to engage with non-profits (ease, comfort, lack of commitment, something deeper)

- Is it just the act of feeling that they have participated or is a unique interaction with the non-profit via social media that urges this involvement?

- Can this interaction actually create loyal advocates, or is it a sustainable insight

- What needs and emotions are being met by the introduction of social media

- How should we define volunteer and engagement as time progresses

- Is there a more effective way for social media to be incorporated for the donor, volunteer, advocate experience?

The links below are just a starting point of understanding what motivates people to volunteer how non-profits are interacting and shaping their organizations around social media initiatives.

This article tackles volunteer motivations from a different angle: “Instead of asking what motivates the volunteer (accepting any conceptual category), we ask to what extent volunteering rewards the individual with each benefit taken from a complete set of possible benefits.” It focuses on the role of social groups and altruism and suggests ways of studying volunteer recruitment and retention.  These underlying concepts will help create a framework for understanding how social media can be utilized.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/40800966?&Search=yes&searchText=motivates&searchText=volunteer&searchText=people&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dwhat%2Bmotivates%2Bpeople%2Bto%2Bvolunteer%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=11&ttl=823&returnArticleService=showFullText

This article briefly discusses how social media is influencing the non-profit sector:

http://mashable.com/2009/05/22/non-profit-social-media/\'

A few other resources are listed below might be helpful along the process as well:

http://craigconnects.org/infographic-2

http://pdn.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MiamiImageURL&_cid=272104&_user=108429&_pii=S0363811109000046&_check=y&_origin=article&_zone=toolbar&_coverDate=30-Jun-2009&view=c&originContentFamily=serial&wchp=dGLbVlB-zSkWb&md5=5ad15c1e9d5348c7d5b2164de64130da/1-s2.0-S0363811109000046-main.pdf

“Social Constructs & Human Service: Managerial Sense Making of Volunteer Motivation”

http://www.jstor.org/stable/27927661?seq=2&Search=yes&searchText=motivates&searchText=volunteer&searchText=people&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dwhat%2Bmotivates%2Bpeople%2Bto%2Bvolunteer%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=2&ttl=823&returnArticleService=showFullText&resultsServiceName=null

“Volunteer Work and Well Being”: Examines the relationship between volunteer work in the community and six aspects of personal well being: happiness, life satisfaction, self esteem, sense of control over life, physical health and depression.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3090173?&Search=yes&searchText=motivates&searchText=volunteer&searchText=people&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dwhat%2Bmotivates%2Bpeople%2Bto%2Bvolunteer%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=1&ttl=823&returnArticleService=showFullText

The Network Non-Profit: Connecting With Social Media to Drive Change by Beth Kanter and Allison Fine

Qualitative Research of Online Social Behavior

In order to understand my Persona Alex and his interaction with social media, I would try to analyze and answer the following questions about his interactions:

1) How many times a day does Alex access any sort of social media?

2) What types of applications or mediums does he engage with?

3) When does he choose to access them?

4) Where does he choose to interact—location and time of day?

5) How does he contribute when using these sites? What is his role? Why does he choose to take on that role?

6) What does he gain from his interaction?

7) When did he start using social media and why? Was it peer pressure, interest, convenience?

8) What is his underlying motivation to use these applications things about his social media usage?

To get an accurate and telling understanding of Alex’s behavior I would first gather this information from observing his daily behavior.

A typical day for Alex begins at 7:00 AM. He wakes up and immediately checks both his BB and  iphone for any urgent work and personal emails. He likes to keep the two accounts in separate devices to help maintain his work life balance. He then checks the weather forecast for the day and logs into Spotify to connect to the iHome while he gets ready for work.

While Alex eats breakfast with his wife Anna, he checks his Google calendar to understand what his day is going to look like. He also looks at the NYSE. Once he gets to work Alex logs onto his PC. While waiting for his computer to load, he quickly glances at his ESPN to see if any news updates about the Dallas Cowboys trade have been released. He also checks the stats of his top players as he is heavily engaged by his Fantasy Football team. For four hours Alex chugs away at work—attending team meetings, sending out emails, and working on the terms of a huge contract.

Lunch time quickly rolls around and Alex meets up with two friends from high school, Mike and Kristina, at their favorite Mexican restaurant. Kristina immediately checks them in via Foursquare and Facebook.

Alex returns to his office and has a few minutes to let his stomach settle before his next call. He casually checks Facebook as he received a notification that he was tagged. He reads his newsfeed, checks to see if he needs to wish anyone a happy birthday and then logs off. He then logs onto Amazon and starts looking for new phone charger and headphones. His current accessories are starting to wear out and he wants to do some research on some brands his friends

Around 6:00 Alex starts to wrap up his day and heads home to meet Anna for dinner. They decide to eat out at a restaurant that Alex’s parents recommended checking out. Alex and Anna both look at Yelp to check out the ratings and comments listed for the restaurant. They also make sure that there are gluten free options Anna’s pregnancy dietary needs.  They both enjoy a pleasant a dinner a call it a night.

Alex is engaged with social media throughout the day, but in a passive manner. Alex joined the social media rather late in the game compared to his peers. It was curiosity and pressure from his wife, then girlfriend, to explore these new channels. He uses social media to gather information and pass time. He never posts or comments, but does gather information for his own personal knowledge and to help through his decision making process. Alex does not mind being tagged at a restaurant, but since he is not so active on Facebook, he will not be the one to initiate that interaction. Alex likes Facebook because it provides him connectivity to friends that he otherwise would not be in constant contact with. It is a medium for him to maintain relationships and to feel as though he is still involved in their lives. Alex does not contribute product comments on Amazon or restaurant feedback on sites like Yelp, but just collects knowledge.

Alex

Alex is a 34 year old white male that lives in Dallas, TX.  Alex is my brother’s childhood best friend and is someone that I have engaged with over several stages of his life. A little bit of background on Alex. Alex grew up in Dallas with his step-father, mother and sister Rebeca who he is very close with. Alex’s family is extremely affluent, but one would never know by the way he and his family behave. Alex attended Georgetown University and for the past 7 years has lived in NYC working as an investment banker for a high profile firm. Alex has been married to his wife Anne for the past 5 years. Recently, Alex and Anne moved back to Dallas where he took a position within his step father’s company. Anne also recently announced that she is pregnant with their first child.

What does he or she think and feel?

Alex continuously strives for success both professionally and personally. Working hard and focusing on creating results is important to Alex, but family and friends are always his first priority. Alex enjoys spending quality time with them. When he isn’t working he enjoys vacationing, attending social gatherings, and watching sports. He believes in maintaining loyal and trustworthy relationships and works hard to maintain them. He is also a people likes to keep things simple in life. He wants to be the type of person anyone can approach for help. Currently Alex is preoccupied with becoming a father. He concerned about his shifting priorities and how he will balance fatherhood and his work obligations.  

What does he or she see?

Alex spends a lot of time with his friends and family. When he is not in the workplace, where he is a top manager with several direct reports, Alex spends a lot of time at home with his wife Anne. They live in a comfortable modern neighborhood in the heart of the city. They frequently visit his parents who live down the street. The majority of Alex’s friends in Dallas are childhood friends who are now married with children of their own. They are all successful in their respective industries and work hard to maintain a healthy work life balance. Alex and his friends maintain similar values as a lot of their relationships are based on history. He spends a lot of time with them attending sporting events, going to dinner and or seeing movies. Alex likes being ahead of the curve when it comes to new products and technology. He keeps up with new innovation through the web and by word of mouth.

What does he or she hear?

Alex is extremely bright and generous. He can always be depended upon and believes in working hard and playing hard.  Since Alex values his relationship so much, he constantly turns to them for advice on making big decisions and full sincerely trusts their opinion. He is often influenced by their experiences and opinions. Alex is very heavily influenced by his spouse Anne as well. She has a strong pull on his purchasing habits and choices.  In terms of media channels, Alex is constantly connected to both his BB and iphone. He is not active on social media websites, but spends a lot of time exploring the internet. Since Alex also really enjoys attending and watching sporting events television advertisement are a source of information as well.  

What does he or she say and do?

Alex is open minded and is willing to try new things, but usually will not initiate those undertakings most of the time. Alex sometimes appears lazy and tending to stay in his comfort zone. However, if someone he trusts offers a suggestion he is quick to follow and will not hesitate to commit to trying something new. Since Alex works hard, he likes to be entertained in his free time—whether through video games or movies. Alex is positive in all that he approaches. Usually, Alex likes staying in his comfort zone and is often shy in social settings. Alex is candidly honest, but never partakes in speaking ill of others. He likes to avoid conflict at all costs. Overall, Alex may say that he would prefer to do something in order to avoid uncomfortable situations, but will not commit unless someone he trusts is partaking or has positive remarks about their experiences.   

What are his or her pain points?

Alex’s biggest frustrations are wasting time. He believes in efficiency and tends not to have patience for such things as waiting in long lines. He also has high expectations when investing in any product of service.  Alex is also frustrated with indecisiveness. He likes to hear the pros and cons of any situation, but when decision is made he believes in going forward without regrets.  Alex fears losing meaningful relationships or having falling outs with them and therefore he avoids any sort of conflict with friends and family. He constantly remains neutral when such situations occur as the risk involved is too great for him.

What does he or she hope to gain?

Alex aspires to gain something that provides him with entertainment and convenience. He wants to be able to trust whatever he uses and with his busy schedule he is not looking for something that is complicated to learn. Since he also enjoys spending time with his friends and family, he enjoys anything that fosters interaction with them. He measures success as providing him with an easier way to tackle tasks and or provide him with enjoyment and entertainment in his free time. In addition, he is not price sensitive so accountability and service are valuable tools of measurement. Alex does his own research, but relies heavily on validation from close ones on the quality of anything before he commits.