Data: The recource for the social media business model
How they are collected and stored
Introduction
Module 1 is taking a closer look at the basic resource for many online media business models: data. Any kind of online activity is based on the communication between different computers – personal computers/mobile devices and some servers. These data including their informative content entails huge business potentials and are, consequently, systematically collected and analysed. They are the basis for any kind of personalised marketing or artificial intelligence application. This module is first explaining the major data collection methodologies, e.g. with the help of cookies, and is showing how much data average online media users are voluntarily giving up. Second, the module is discussing some elements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as a means to protect our data and is giving some hints how to minimize our data trail during our online activity.
Exercise 1
How to Protect our Data? Example with Firefox
In this exercise the students will learn how to protect their data while surfing online using the Mozilla Firefox browser. This short exercise is designed to give practical tips on how to protect their data. Essentially, the exercise explores the different settings one can use to protect one’s data.
Exercise 2
Terms and Conditions
In this exercise the students will reflect on the data they share, sometimes without them knowing about it. The students will therefore analyze the ways in which Instagram collects data. After analyzing four different ways of data collection, the students will reflect on the implications.
