this post was submitted on 18 Oct 2024
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I am/was in the same boat as you: For a long time, I just didn't care that I was giving away a bunch of information in return for convenience, and didn't get why people cared so much.
I don't really know what triggered it, but at some point I became painfully aware that the only goal these companies have is to squeeze every possible penny out of selling me. I started noticing that the stuff they ask you to confirm is 95% stuff they want because they can sell it, or use it to get you hooked to their service, and 5% (at best) stuff they need to make the service good for you.
This triggered a change in my perspective: Now it pretty much makes me sick to my stomach to think about all the companies that are drooling over me, trying to make a buck by getting me to click something I'm not actually interested in, or don't actually need.
These people have a vested interest in manipulating me, and by giving them my data, I'm giving them the tools to do it. I don't want to be manipulated or sold as a product: That's what made me start caring about protecting my data.
This is it for me too. I'm not going to allow companies to monetise me or my data any more than the absolute minimum I have to.
One thing I try hard at is making sure that I never have to see a single advert in my own home. I don't have TV, I don't watch any streaming services if they have ads, and I adblock everything. I don't care how good a product is, how cheap or free, if it has advertisements I'm out.
To me it's about having sufficient self-respect to not let companies live in my head rent-free.