A few weeks ago, I took advantage of a promotion through Spotify that was offering a free Google Home speaker.
I originally thought it was a hoax, but a few friends started posting the ones they had already received. I didn’t see the harm in getting one since I was already paying for the program, and signed up to have it shipped out.
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When I finally received the Google Home, it started a conversation in our office about how our smartphones and social media always seem to be listening.
If you have a conversation about a product or discuss where you should eat for lunch, all of a sudden there’s all the ads that are displayed on your social media about whatever it was you were chatting about it.
It sounds like an invasion of your privacy, because I feel like you should have a semblance of not being listened to if you aren’t using a laptop or cellphone.
If you search for something online and ads pop up about it, that makes a bit of sense to me. The programs you’re using are trying to make you buy the same product again, or to look at another one.
But, if I’m not using the Internet to look for something, should I have to worry about my iPhone eavesdropping and using that information to custom build ads for me online?
I’ll admit, I’m weary of setting up the device because I don’t like the idea of it listening to me and recording everything I say. Though, I’m not sure why anyone would want to since I live alone and am a pretty quiet person.
It’s the double-edged sword with a lot of technology these days.
Sure, it’s great to be able to say, ‘okay, Google’ and have it turn on the lights, or turn down the temperature in your house, or put on the show you’re watching on Netflix. But, is it really worth giving up a portion of your privacy in the process? Does making our lives a little bit easier really make it worth allowing strangers and machines to listen in on our conversations?
I’m still pondering my own answers to these questions, though I think the allure of being able to have a device turn on and off my music may outweigh any fears I have.
Just like when we post photos and information to social media, we have to be aware of what we say around most smart devices these days. Whatever we say, we have to be comfortable with the idea of other people knowing about it and possibly using it against us.
If we’re okay with that, then there’s nothing wrong with getting a Google Home and having a smart house that we can talk to. Though, it may eventually talk back at some point.
