Henry Fountain

I’m not going to lie, when I saw that Facebook and Instagram went down twice in one week, some shady stuff was going down. To me when an app crashed, I always think of the worst, especially if it’s for longer than an hour. A million questions float around in my head, and I always think that this is when these people are stealing our information and using it for something else. When both apps went down on Monday, I kind of liked not going on my phone every minute of the day. I got so much work done that needed to be done because I didn’t have access to these apps. I’m curious to see if this will happen again in the near future and see how it all goes down.

Such a great read!

Hi Montrease,

Such a timely topic I must say! I remember saying to two of my coworkers this past Monday “I think Facebook may be down” because my feed wouldn’t refresh after multiple attempts. Like you, I wasn’t affected by this crash due to the laundry list of items I had to keep me occupied. It was astonishing to see the news coverage this outage received – kind of makes you think where society is going and how dependent on and consumed people are with social media networks.

As you pointed out, it was also convenient that the next day a whistleblower came forward to Congress. Personally, I didn’t follow this story so I don’t know what was said or the evidence and claims that were brought forward. It seems like Facebook is receiving a lot of negative publicity lately – but seems like they have a loyal user base.

Hi Montrease, great article!

What a great topic to cover! It was a crazy week, and honestly, I was shocked that this story was covered so heavily. I know I should not have been surprised, but a part of me was questioning whether we have more significant problems?
When the app first crashed, I thought it was my poor wifi, but when I saw on other socials that everyone else was having problems with Facebook & Instagram, I didn’t know what to think. Although Instagram is a great app, and so is its parent company Facebook, I feel both apps are highly toxic in this current time. They amplify the need to be perfect and have this ideal life despite half of it not being honest or true.
While the outage was difficult, I thought it brought some perspective to people to see that these social media applications are not everything. If they were to go away today, would we be happy with who we are at our core?

Hi Montrease,

I admittedly didn’t realize until later in the evening that there was in fact an outage (I attributed my social troubles to really poor Comcast internet 😉 ) I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed the ensuing memes that resulted from this. I personally don’t think it was the worst thing that could happen (I know, easy for me to say.. I didn’t take a $6B loss – sorry Mr. Zuckerberg). But when I receive the alert on my phone showing how many hours a day I spend on my phone with the channel breakdown, I’m actually in disbelief! How can I possibly complain about juggling a full time job, grad school, 2 kids + their robust extracurricular schedules and yet still find an average of 8 HOURS per day scrolling? If only I was able to delete those social apps, I can’t imagine how much extra time I’d have on my hands to invest in other things – most importantly, myself! It was certainly a learning moment for me.

I think the agriculture sector stands to benefit greatly from AI and drone/automation technology, but government subsidies will be needed to implement this technology and to train farmers in their effective use. Land will become more scarce as the planet’s population grows and the effects of climate change are realized over the next few decades, and this technology will undoubtedly allow farmers to increase their yields with less space.

The biggest hurdle will be lack of infrastructure, which will only make it more difficult to introduce new technology. However, I don’t know if relying solely on tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft is the best option to fix this problem. One needs to only look in our own backyard to see the negative effects of monopolized broadband Internet (frequent outages, slow speeds, high prices, poor customer service). Do we really trust these companies to have the farmers’ best interests in mind?

Thank you, Andrea,
I would love to hear from you about the processes followed at Forever 21 sometime. It would be interesting to know how they make the best out of big data and technologies at their disposal.
I second your thought on sustainability. Fashion is a $2.5 trillion industry and produces 10% of global carbon emissions. Manufacturing just enough and just right is an excellent solution to address the problem to an extent, and Zara scores one extra credit for that!

Arpana, interesting article.

I had no idea Zara kept such a tight eye on it’s inventory. The quick replenishment cycle model sounds like the perfect way to create an efficient inventory management procedure that keeps designs and distribution running seamlessly. It honestly should be adopted by more retailers. Not to mention, it is wonderful to see a company that takes consumer feedback so seriously, because often times in industries such as this, the consumer is the driver of sales so the consumer must feel like their opinions and feedback are taken seriously.

Hi Arpana,

I love this post! As a huge Zara fan myself, I had no prior knowledge of the value drivers of their business model. I do wonder how, given how heavily this model relies on an efficient supply chain, Zara is faring in this current environment. Also, I know that they don’t invest in advertising; but, instead, opt for retail storefronts. Like most companies, I’m sure they’ve had to pivot their go to market strategy a bit. Keeping a low inventory to stay abreast of current trends is really smart. I’m an avid Shark Tank watcher and the amount of entrepreneurs who have hundreds of thousands to millions in inventory sitting in a warehouse is an ongoing pain point.

Really great read!

Hey Sara, nice read
I would not mind trying out a robot to help me with everyday life. I would need to make sure the technology is right and no errors like the robot attacking me would ever happen, but the robot being able to clean my house would be super useful. I would still buy a Tesla product. It is 2021; everybody and every company knows everything about you so it is hard to say no to a company when majority of companies are using very detailed data about you to make business decisions. Yes! I think about that all the time. As long as Elon Musk can create a kill switch to prevent that stuff from. happening, I am all for it.

Kristen, thank you for this post.
I was researching smart home appliances as well, and I am super excited about this innovation. With technologies like IoT and Artificial Intelligence, it is possible to digitize homes and make everyday devices smarter. And why not?
However, it feels a little strange during the last decade., as customers, we’re still learning how to be safe while shopping online and how much to socialize on social media, and within the next few years, we will see a fully digitalized home.
To answer your question, in my opinion, the privacy of data might not be the biggest concern at least in the context of this innovation. The most significant barrier could be technological fragmentation within the digitally connected home ecosystem. Interoperability will be the key to making the smart home a reality and transforming the landscape of connected consumer products.

Hey Kristin,
This article gave me some Space Odyssey vibes, where we’re closer to having a HAL 9000 in our homes. There are perks to having this innovation implemented to our home appliance since it would make it easier to maintain these appliances when they start to break down. However, I think about how privacy is shrinking each day with new apps and technologies constantly collecting information. From personal experience, I cannot plug in my google home because some of my friends don’t want Google to listen to them because they work in cyber security and that would be consider as a data breach. If we think about how more people are working from home from their own personal internet than their job’s, we might see these companies feeling wary of their data security being compromised from employee’s smart appliances. Hopefully, there might more laws or discussions in the future that might cope with Big Data.

Hi Kristen, great post! I think this is another great example as to how AI is gradually taking over aspects of everyday life. Ten years ago, who would’ve ever thought that smart appliances such as refrigerators, laundry units, etc., would become a part of people’s daily routines. Echoing Arpana’s comment, I think it’s only a matter of time before we transition into a predominantly digital way of life. You make some very valid points as to what this could mean for consumers and, particularly, how it pertains to data privacy. As much as people try to protect their data by resisting certain innovations, it’s inevitable that eventually old tech will become outdated as more and more people pivot towards what’s new and promising; if not out of convenience, then out of necessity. In that case, not all customers may be willing to trade privacy for convenience, but they may feel obligated to in order to adapt to the modern world. It’s an interesting concept to think about.

Interesting read Kirsten.

I for one am extremely for big data and to answer a couple of your questions, would not mind the usage of AI in my house to keep me informed about items in my fridge, their freshness, the amounts I have, etc. I believe it could be a useful tool that could keep me up to date in my kitchen. I definitely worry about the price of these appliances but as for the scrutiny behind big data, it does not bother me. Although a monitor screen on a fridge would definitely taking some getting used to.

I believe the connection between technology, data, and everyday household items is inevitable, and our generation will make it more normal and comfortable for those who are not as tech savvy.

To find what Google’s profile of you may include follow these steps: 1) make sure you are logged into your Google Account 2) type in the search bar “google ads personalization” 3) the link to ad settings will reveal what tags you are associated with!

Interesting read Hannah.

I for one did not know of the intricacies and collaboration between scientists, the government, and farmers in order to meet supply and demand of food in the U.S. I would think that AI would be a wonderful tool to use in order to predict, register, and account for supply and demand in crop yields. It seems as if the hesitation of farmers has not affected us too much, but it will obviously make a huge difference in yields if adopted. The usage of AI could even be used to help cut costs and improve efficiency which is hard for me to understand why farmers would not want to at least try out AI software and platforms.

Hi Hannah!
Thank you for your post. I am looking forward to knowing how did your idea of a new platform workout for your company. As you mentioned, the present system seems a little scattered where the customers need to approach different software for different needs, which could be frustrating. It’s always a good idea to look around and see what other organizations within the same industry are doing.
In one of my previous experiences, I worked as a business analyst for a public bank platform up-gradation project. I created use cases and designed a customer experience journey to map out what we want to accomplish out of our new system. I hear from friends all the time about similar projects. It means that technological changes to create better digital UX are part of every organization’s success story. Technology is not supposed to complicate things, and if it is doing so, something needs to be changed.

Hi Abby,
The majority of people use these apps frequently including me. Some of them might not even be aware that their data is being collected and tracked. It is one thing to collect data and whole another to use it to build revenue. Hardly do we read the privacy notice when we join an app or start entering our data into one. If we do take out time to read them they are very vague and hard to understand. I stopped using Facebook a few years ago, I was aware they tracked our activity but I wasn’t aware they tracked the apps we have visited.
Sure they ask if it is okay for them to use your information but do they don’t tell you what they will be using it for.
Tiktok for example, collect our demographic data by default based on our SIM card, IP address, and GPS. Makes me wonder why they wouldn’t give us a choice. I recently discovered some privacy settings on Instagram when I opened a business account. They are significantly different from than one’s we get in a regular account.

Hi Abby,
This doesn’t surprise me at all! I have been aware for some time that these apps have been tracking what we do. I am not a big Facebook user, but I am a big Instagram user! I knew that app was tracking me since every time I go on a website, once I log onto Instagram I see an ad or something similar on Instagram. It’s honestly crazy how much data they are taking and tracking from us. Our purchase history, our likes, our comments, what groups we join. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were tracking who we are talking to in our DM’s. I understand the tracking of certain data due to marketing to customers. However, there is certain information that they DO NOT NEED TO KNOW or track. Whenever I can, I do opt out of an app tracking my location or opt out of cookies.

Hi Abby,

Great Post! I am always on Facebook and Instagram and I am aware they do lots of tracking, but I don’t like to think about it. I find it a bit scary. I created my instagram account when I was about 14, so thinking that they have been tracking things about me for 10 years is a bit worrisome. Makes me wonder how much they truly know about me. Also, I’m not a fan how it shows your followers when you were last online. I turned this feature off because I read this one article that mentioned how someone could know your location by having that feature on. The example they gave was about sharing a post or a story about waiting for the bus. Someone could notice that you’re waiting at a bus stop at a certain time everyday because your green active light is showing on Instagram or Facebook. You never know who else can be tracking you with a simple friendly app feature.

Hi Abby,
The privacy wall for users is paper thin! There are so many apps that have been working hand in hand to collect information on users without the person even knowing. It didn’t shock me that Facebook and Instagram were collecting information to support their system. They collect information from your purchase history, comments, and post that they can generate ads and other content to the user’s individual experience. Today, apps are collecting information and generating content that we as user aren’t aware of like in the case of Tik Tok user noticing content they wouldn’t have looked at or even know about.

I agree. I feel the same way, until there’s a problem.

Interesting read Montrease.

I for one definitely see the moral hazard and privacy violations that most companies commit when it comes to the accumulating, analyzing, and selling of consumers information and data. Which in turn unfortunately leads to the very real threats of hacking and identity stealing. However, like Demi eluded to, I for one do not mind the aspect of creating online profiles for myself, and think that targeted ads can be quite helpful at times. I also feel more and more comfortable with how companies and our government are approaching the collection and selling of data, making it harder for those to hack. I believe there will always be a place for it, and with how apple just rolled out their newest software functionalities of two factor authentications and “ask app not to track data” options I believe we are headed to the right area when it comes to personal data.