As we learned, technology and culture is a cycle.   The innovation of new technology influences culture which in turn influences technology.  A good example of how this works is the shift in advertisement strategy as technology has evolved.

Our culture has been influenced by the spread of social media platforms, and the use of social media has influenced the technologies used for data collection.  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc. all collect data and they use it for all kinds of things, but I want to look at how the culture around social media has changed the landscape of advertising.

Ad personalization is a direct result of social media platforms collecting data on us.  Internet marketing does not have to appeal to the widest audience it can, it only has to appeal to you.  Based on what you like, watch, follow, search AND based on what your friends are doing, every person is receiving ads that they are more likely to respond to.

Along with the ability to reach the people you want, advertisers can reach MORE people in general, especially if they are advertising on Facebook or YouTube, both of which have over a billion monthly users.

Social Media Monthly Users (bigcommerce.com)

The culture around social media has influenced new advertising strategies and technologies, but as consumers become more aware of how they are being targeted, online behavior shifts and so do advertiser strategies.  I think that this is  a good example how technology and culture are interconnected as well as how data is collected and used in our daily life.  Data collection is a technology itself, and how it is used influences the creation of technologies that are more suitable for the shift in culture.