Nowadays, technology has advanced so much that the idea of being completely anonymous is becoming more difficult, and I would say even impossible. No matter how hard you try to avoid it, by accessing the internet in any way possible, you end up leaving a digital trail; you interact with websites, services, and people. In this way, you end up creating a virtual identity of your own, which, even if it doesn't have a direct link to you, is still a "virtual you."
In this sense, we can still analyze whether or not this constitutes a type of anonymity. If we consider their digital persona, then I believe that in different scenarios, it's truly impossible for a person to become invisible because simply accessing the site/tool/social network means someone is using it, unless it's a bot or an autonomous agent, as has recently begun to happen. What will the future hold?
I'll be much appreaciated if you Votes, Reblogs or give any Tips. Thanks and have good reading! 🍀
Is the user the product?
One of the issues related to anonymity that many may consider is the transformation of the user into a product. Have you ever wondered why many services and websites are free to use? The reason is that users pay part or all of the cost with data, and because convenience, paying less, and lack of information become predominant, most users don't even realize it.
Today, when you access a streaming service, for example, it starts to consider the series and movies you like and creates a consumer profile to represent you, and based on that, it starts recommending new content. Many of these sites take this data and sell it to other companies that will use it to recommend products. For example, if you really like a series and there's a correlation between the data sold, a marketplace might end up offering you products related to that series the next time you access the site.
These cases go even further, when you realize that you don't necessarily need to be online, actively interacting with a website for this profile and preferences to be created. Various devices are capable of passively listening to what the user is saying daily to process preferences and, once again, use this data to recommend products to the user the next time.
The Future of Social Networks and Anonymity
It seems we are entering a period of transition on the internet that could greatly change the very dynamics of the user as a product. Companies that previously did not charge for access to their services have already collected a large amount of data and are beginning to shift their systems to a monthly subscription model. There are several examples, such as the implementation of verified badges and payments on social networks, and the limitation of services to those in the most basic tiers.
Thus, we are seeing a transition from a data model to a massive subscription model, but the question is, given the severely impacted economy, will all users be able to continue using these services, or are we approaching a period of social exclusion? Furthermore, with the advancements in AI, a website emerged where clawbot AIs began interacting with each other, potentially meaning that in the future interactions may occur directly through bots or with the user sending a message through a bot – perhaps this will be the future of anonymity?
