We Are Data: LJ2

      Overall I was overwhelmed and very shocked by the reading We Are Data by John Cheney-Lippold, as it explains how we are perceived online and what that means for each of us. I was fascinated to learn that there is a threshold for someone to be classified as “Google famous” and that a traditional celebrity may not be considered so, depending on their online presence. I was also fascinated that the algorithm designed to expedite the process of repealing information cannot differentiate between celebrities stage names and legal names, like the example used of Rihanna versus her full legal name (xi). I was also intrigued that we are not perceived by who we perceive ourselves to be, but that our online data is used to build a profile of us based on our activity that may be wholeheartedly incorrect (3) and that it can affect the level of privacy you are afforded. According to Lippold, “you are rarely ‘you’ online” (4) instead our online selves are a separate version of us that is built based on our online interests, searches, and history. Instead of perceiving us as an individual using a keyboard, we are a series of searches that build data; for example, if I chose to do research into baby clothes, toys, and different diaper brands, my online self would be perceived as a mother or expectant mother when in reality I do not want kids. 

     Honestly, going forward it is highly likely that I am going to be deleting most social media platforms period and minimizing my online identity because of how much privacy is lost. Personal platforms will be almost entirely deleted, though I will likely keep up a professional platform for future job searching. I do not find this to be ethical, and I personally believe that celebrities personal information like birthdays, full legal names, and addresses should be protected regardless of their online social status. Of course, celebrities can share birthdays and such online at their own discretion, but it feels wrong for an algorithm to be able to take the choice of removing articles containing personal information away from living people. 


Cheney-Lippold. We Are Data : Algorithms and the Making of Our Digital Selves. New York University Press.

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