If you don't pay for the service...

…YOU are the product

This is a phrase I heard many years ago when Social Media was really kicking off. Facebook still ran on PHP, X was still called Twitter and TikTok was a sound a Clock made (or the villain in a horror novel I read once!)

Most people you speak to, when you broach the subject of personal data for internet services fall into one of three categories:

1. I just click accept because I don’t know what it is
2. I just click Reject because it’s safer
3. I click accept because I don’t mind them having my data

Of course, that’s a generalisation. Other factors are numerous and many people actually flit between 2 or 3 of these options with some conditions attached… me, for example, I actually quite like giving my data to some platforms or webapps because it brings a personal touch and actually improves my experience. Other sites though, I’m less trusting of.

Like most of the clickbaity articles, I’d usually Reject cookies. Or if it seems really sketchy, I’d either not touch it at all, or only through a VPN on a tracker-blocking browser if the headline was really just too catchy to ignore. Like, I’m a sucker for stories where karma hits hard, or a really appealing new pasta recipe!

But then a few months back I noticed that some prominent news and tabloid websites started charging fees if you wanted to Reject cookies, and of course if you wanted to go down the route of paying, you’d need to set up an account. At first I started to just back out and be like “Na, I don’t actually need to know what that celebrity said about their ex” (although I still kinda do).

Then it became more prolific.

Other non-conventional news and gossip sites started doing it. Even my favourite online only publication did it (although I was happy to give them my data becasue I believe in their message). And then imagine my complete and utter shock when Facebook themselves did it.

Logging in one morning last week, the web service that has always said it would never cost money to use Facebook gave me a choice - pay a small monthly fee, or accept all cookies they want to put on my device.

At this stage I should be clear that this seems to relate to shifts in tactics from these firms but in European sites only, including UK. Although it’s a little unclear from my rudimentary research as to how widespread this will go.

I’ll be frank; I was really shocked to see this. Because I was already seeing plenty of ads on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp - and a lot of the adverts were actually really useful. I’d figured that they were using my browsing history and their profile of me to suggest ads. But now, I have no choice but to pay, or to have 3rd party advertisers also begin to build a profile.

Now let me make it clear - I’m a really lazy shopper. I’m also really impulsive. So a website shows me a product I like, I’ll be reaching for the credit card before you can say “But what’s the APR?” So, with that in mind, you’d think I’d be more than happy to be followed around the internet with the intention of selling me products I’ll actually get value from.

But no, I feel the choice has now been taken away from me and if I wish to remain private with my day-to-day browsing habits, I need to take other steps to hide it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m more than capable of doing that, but there’s a part of mw that asks why should I?

I understand the other side of it. With Streaming services far overtaking conventional TV, and DVR being the norm so that people can skip ads easier than before, getting a product in front of a realistic prospective buyer has never been more difficult. Genuine small businesses, making a product or offering a service that they believe in, have the impossible task of throwing it out into the void and hoping it lands in front of the right person at the right time. This is where Ad cookies can help both business and consumer. But from a business point of view, and a platform point of view, doing all this costs money - it’s only fair that they get a cut of the takings.

But I really dislike not having control over these things.

Right now, our realistic choice is to pay, accept all, or not use the service. But how this proceeds will determine on how many people do the latter. Time will tell.

On the very late podcast this weekend (so sorry it’s late!) I’ll be talking more about this topic and, for the uninitated, answering the question that might be close to the front of your mind; just what are cookies and how do they work?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!