I. Introduction
a. Hook: Envision checking your social media and realizing that every ad appears customized for you. The ads you see are targeted because your information has been assembled and examined to make them as relevant as possible.
b. Overview, background, and context: The emergence of social media has sparked an age of significant data amassing. Targeted advertising relies on personal information gathered by businesses that provokes major ethical questions. Although it gives a customized experience to users, this method has triggered discussions on the issues of privacy and transparency.
c. Main claim (Thesis) with a qualifier: While social media companies may argue that targeted advertising benefits users by providing relevant content, the collection and use of personal data without explicit consent is an unethical violation of privacy, requiring stricter regulation.
II. Narration:
The essay argues that even though personalized marketing presents some perks social media businesses’ practices of collecting and using personal data without user agreement violate ethical principles of privacy and openness. Millions of users worldwide face this issue which demands enhanced scrutiny and legislation changes.
III. Confirmation:
a. Topic Sentence: Firstly, social media companies depend on personal data collection for their financial success, but this practice lacks transparency.
i. Reason: Social media platforms profit from users’ data through targeted advertising.
ii. Grounds: Users’ data is harvested globally, creating extensive databases that companies like Facebook and TikTok leverage for profit.
iii. Warrant: Data collection on a global scale creates privacy issues as many users do not recognize the extent of the data gathered.
iv. Backing: According to Zuboff (204), these organizations engage in widespread surveillance that exceeds national limits and emphasizes profit generation.
v. Concluding sentence: Thus, the global scope of data collection without proper consent emphasizes the unethical nature of these practices.
b. Topic sentence: Furthermore, social media platforms misuse a lack of knowledge from users, thus violating ethical guidelines.
i. Reason: A lot of individuals do not understand the ways in which their private information is employed.
ii. Grounds: Bergram et al. (5) argue that these companies profit from individuals’ confidential information without proper consent.
iii. Warrant: The absence of informed consent makes the practice unethical and manipulative.
iv. Backing: Dwivedi et al. (3) show that as targeted advertising increases, so do consumer privacy concerns.
v. Concluding sentence: When social media firms do not obtain consent from their users, they infringe upon user rights and diminish trust.
c. Topic sentence: Lack of clarity on data sharing intentions and procedures aggravates the ethical problems.
i. Reason: Previous cases such as the case of Cambridge Analytica show how social media organization address personal data negligently.
ii. Grounds: Isaak and Hanna (56) emphasize how Facebook gave unauthorized access to 87 million users’ data.
iii. Warrant: These incidents highlight the failure of companies to protect user information adequately.
iv. Backing: The Cambridge Analytica case illustrates a concerning aspect where firms place financial gain above the protection of consumers.
v. Concluding sentence: Lack of openness creates skepticism and reveals their concealment of users’ privacy details for negative purposes.
IV. Rebuttal of Counterarguments
a. Topic Sentence: Although these are ethical concerns, others applaud the use of targeted ads as enhancing the user’s experience and interactions.
a. Present Counterargument 1: Personalized ads generate customized recommendations improving user involvement and digital enjoyment.
i. Give Evidence to disprove/weaken: While this may be true, the practice of gathering data without consent cannot be justified merely by improved engagement (Appel et al. 83).
b. Concession: While targeting can produce more relevant content for users the advantage is outweighed by the ethical implication of privacy infringement.
c. Concluding Sentence: Therefore, while targeted advertising has some advantages, the fundamental issue remains the unethical collection of personal data.
VI. Conclusion:
The gathering and application of personal information by social media firms for targeted ads create a variety of ethical concerns regarding privacy and openness. Although targeted ads may improve user interactions the lack of explicit agreement and openness in data management threatens their value. A stronger legal foundation is necessary for policymakers to protect personal data and enable users to oversee their own data. Only then will the trust between users and social platforms will be reestablished.
Works Cited
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Alalwan, Ali Abdallah. “Investigating the Impact of Social Media Advertising Features on Customer Purchase Intention.” International Journal of Information Management 42 (2018): 65-77.
Appel, Gil, et al. “The Future of Social Media in Marketing.” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 48.1 (2020): 79-95.
Bergram, Kristoffer, et al. “Digital Nudges for Privacy Awareness: from Consent to Informed Consent?.” Twenty-Eigth European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS2020) (2020): 1-16.
Dwivedi, Yogesh K., et al. “Setting the Future of Digital and Social Media Marketing Research: Perspectives and Research Propositions.” International Journal of Information Management 59 (2021): 102168, 1-37.
Isaak, Jim, and Mina J. Hanna. “User Data Privacy: Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and Privacy Protection.” Computer 51.8 (2018): 56-59.
Jacobson, Jenna, Anatoliy Gruzd, and Ángel Hernández-García. “Social Media Marketing: Who is Watching the Watchers?.” Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 53 (2020): 101774.
Zuboff, Shoshana. “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism.” Social Theory Re-Wired. Routledge (2023): 203-213.