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New study: How do consumers experience online data collection?

A row of people waiting playing with their cellphones.

This is the question guiding a new study in the project “Consuming digital data”, with the purpose to see how the consumer experience and feels about the collection of their personal data. The study was conducted by Christian Fuentes, professor at Lund University and Niklas Sörum, Docent at University of Borås.

Everything we do online is traced. Some information we provide our selves when we register on a platform or site, but just as much come from what we do when we are online. Everything from what we search for at Google, to what videos we see and what we buy is traced and stored. It’s called “dataveillance”, the systematic collection and surveillance of the user and their data on different platforms. What does the consumer think?

– We’ve seen that consumers know that their data is being collected, and they are troubled by it, but they react in different ways. Your views on technology and the future influence how you react, says Christian Fuentes.

The article describes three different ways the consumer relates to their data being collected.

– In some situations, the data collection is perceived as something positive and a necessity in the digital society. When this is the case consumers don’t mind the data being gathered, sometimes they even want it to be collected as they believe that they can gain something from it. It will help the user to receive better results and suggestions. The data is a payment for the service provided.

In other situations, the collecting of data is seen as something negative and a breach of privacy. The digital society is a threat, a dystopia. The consumers feel monitored and manipulated but they also feel dejected, they believe that they can’t change anything about it.

Finally, there are situations in where consumers see themselves as rebels. They also see the digitalized society as something negative, but the difference is they see possibilities to change the situation. The “rebels” are also negative to the data collection, but they’re trying to work against it. They actively try to disrupt the collection of data by manipulating the information, using apps and services to mask themselves or stop using platforms entirely, says Christian Fuentes.

The study shows that the consumers aren’t consistent. The user that in some cases see the data collection as something positive can in other cases see it as deeply problematic. It depends on the situation.

– To understand consumers reasoning it’s not possible to ask generally about the subject. Instead, we have to ask specifically, using the same questions about different platforms. This is because the role the platform has in your life affects what data you are willing to grant access to. One of our interviewees in the study claimed to have deleted Facebook to get away from their tracking. At the same time, he used the streaming platform Twitch and shared his data with them because he felt that it was worth it, he gained so much from it, says Christian Fuentes.

About the project

The project “Consuming digital data: commercial, productive and critical implications” is led by Niklas Sörum and is financed by Varberg Sparbank. The project is taking place during 2021-2022 and is a collaborative project between University of Borås and Lunds University.

Read more about the project here.

Read the entire article here.

More research from Christian Fuentes.

More research on consumtion, marketing and retail.