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Essay / Review of “I Am Followed” by Alexis C. Madrigal
“I Am Being Followed” by Alexis C. Madrigal explores the unknown world of data collection through navigation. By visiting various sites every day, each click increases a person's vulnerability to having their personal information collected and used in ways that have yet to be discovered. Madrigal supports his invasion of privacy claim by using direct experiences, stories, logos, and evidence from credible sources, to highlight the many possible effects that companies can have on tracking people online. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Nowadays, everything we do online, whether it's watching cat videos or doing shopping, is recorded on a network of databases. The personal information collected, as Madrigal claims, is used by companies that target ads that “you are statistically more likely to click on (Madrigal, I am being tracked).” Companies make money with advertisements geared towards consumer desires, but it is still unclear whether this is a harmful or harmless phenomenon - because we do not know what will happen with what is collection. Madrigal's previous statements cause the audience to think deeply; What if the data collected leads the world to downfall, perhaps to another world war? What if the data collected brought world peace because it could solve potential crimes? It is obvious that people are to some extent aware that they are being monitored online, but they tend to be unaware of the possible dangers that this monitoring could bring. Madrigal discussed what's on the other side of the screen, educating her audience on what's behind that ad that pops up right after you think exactly what it's advertising. He spoke about the many companies that monitored his actions on the Internet, such as "Adnetik" and "AdRoll", showing his audience that he too was experiencing these things. So, for the skeptics who need to wake up, he lists the site he used to find out which companies were tracking him; "Connivance." As a result, Madrigal mentions that "standards established to improve the frequency with which people click on ads may end up determining who you are when viewed by a bank, a romantic partner, or a retailer that sells shoes ( Madrigal, I'm Being Followed. )” In this case, he warns his audience so that they stay aware of the sites they visit, because without knowing it, people tend to create many “social markers” in line ; many identities of someone. To educate his audience about the potential risks of falling prey to the Internet, his selective writing style has had its effects. To begin with, Madrigal's choice of words made the text easy to follow, allowing it to be understandable to a wider audience. Through his diction, he managed to achieve a friendly dialect, creating a less stressful atmosphere for a serious subject; which almost makes it seem like he's telling a story. He even adds humor to the beginning of his text by creating a scenario of opening your browser, and in the blink of an eye, the "data from this single visit was sent to 10 different companies (Madrigal, I' m Being Followed).” Along with the title, it has an almost sarcastic tone, making it seem like 104 companies follow millions of people across the web. In addition to one's choice of words, sometimes people don't know how to express their feelings towards