Just noticed an info-graphic by a site called couple. Its a map, nice looking one, of connections between couples – ie sending messages using the app.
Looking at it, there was a sudden realisation – or a feeling of realising something. In a sense, here is an app that like many others on the web talks of itself as a service. A tool designed for couples to share data/messages. Like many other tools, it is “free” to join, and here I think it becomes more interesting.
It doesn’t tell you the price, nor what might be the price. Many times it is because the people that run such tools have no idea, and it seems innocent. However, these “free” tools are run by people who tend to seek profit, a profit from other people’s lives. In this case, its other people’s love life that are being manipulated into profit.
Would I want my love life to become an element in someone else’s info-graphic? even if it looks good?
IDK
However, the infographic is an element I doubt was consulted with people on the app. More over, if you are a couple using the tool already, migrating is not easy.. You might want your data, which is easy to get, however you can not get the habit of using the tool to another. That is precisely how people that run, they own these things – not users – hope to make the profit. They want to profit out of people’s knack of developing habits. ie exploiting a known human feature for making cash.
That is profiteering..
Hence, looking at couple.me infographic is in a sense, looking at an image that illustrates web based exploitation.
Well.. In my mind anyway..