The hidden persuaders
How much time do we spend considering how much of ourselves gets put on the internet every time we log on
The writer is editorial consultant at The Express Tribune, news junkie, bibliophile, cat lover and occasional cyclist
No apologies for stealing the title of a book by Vance Packard published in 1957, and one of the earliest works to recognise the power of advertising in the lives of all of us. Scroll forward 70 years, plug in the internet and social media and suddenly Packard’s seminal work comes into sharp focus. The furore and the fallout from the revelations regarding the activities of Cambridge Analytica in the American elections of 2016 (as well as other elections that the company has provided analysis and consultancy for) has knocked billions of dollars off the value of Facebook, provoked a backlash from investors, brought calls for questions to be asked in several parliaments and probably passed under the radar of many in Pakistan. It shouldn’t.
The issue at the heart of the scandal is one dear to the hearts of political wonks and conspiracy theorists across the country — rigging. The manipulation of electoral outcomes by fair means but mostly foul and the implications of the Cambridge Analytica (CA) affair bear close scrutiny in a local context. Why? For starters there are over 44 million holders of social media accounts of all types in Pakistan, 22.2 per cent of the population, a figure that was accurate in December 2017 and is higher today by an unknown number. By far the greatest proportion of that number belongs to Facebook, with 30 million-plus and Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter far behind. The primary reason for the growth of social media usage is the successful penetration of 3G and 4G technologies, assisted by the boom in sales of affordable smart devices. The middle class is expanding, there are changes in poverty levels that make entry to hitherto beyond reach services more possible, and the under-30s are internet-connected almost across the spectrum. And millions of them are voters.
How much time do we spend considering how much of ourselves gets put on the internet every time we log on? Probably not much. Those that are careful about their social profiles may think they have a small digital footprint — probably not true. Most of us, myself included, write off the fact that we have made a Faustian pact with the internet for the advantages and benefits derived from its use. Effectively, and no matter what cloaking device we may use, we all stand naked in cyberspace — or at least naked to those with the tools to unwrap us.
So what did CA do? It markets itself as a provider of consumer research, providing targeted advertising — the hidden persuader — for political and corporate clients. Among other things it claims to have influenced elections in Kenya in 2013 and 2017 and was instrumental in bringing to power the now-president Uhuru Kenyatta. The Trump campaign employed CA which again claims it played a part in his election.
How? Starting in 2014 CA obtained data on 50 million Facebook users via a means that was deceptive. They were unaware of being ‘harvested’ and 270,000 downloaded an application — and how many of us think before we download — which passed their data and that of their friends to CA. The claim by CA to have subsequently deleted the data or what it was used for rings a tad hollow.
The UK-based Channel 4 News secretly filmed the CA chief executive claiming that his company could use “honey traps” to ensnare politicians in “compromising” activities, use bribes and ex-intelligence officers to unearth information damaging to politicians and their parties, hurting their electoral chances.
For Facebook the events that have followed have been catastrophic though they are unlikely to have suffered a mortal wound, economies of scale will be the life preserver. The brand is going to suffer a short-term loss of confidence, and regulatory activity that is governmentally driven is going to follow swiftly around the world. This is the cyber equivalent of the Weinstein Moment that ripped apart the hidden culture of sexual abuse of women in the entertainment industry.
And what of those 44 million Pakistanis connected to the interthingies? We may rest assured that the very tech-savvy geeks in the depths of Pak-cyber will have already tagged themselves as hidden persuaders and be hard at it. Think before you press ‘send’.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 22nd, 2018.
The issue at the heart of the scandal is one dear to the hearts of political wonks and conspiracy theorists across the country — rigging. The manipulation of electoral outcomes by fair means but mostly foul and the implications of the Cambridge Analytica (CA) affair bear close scrutiny in a local context. Why? For starters there are over 44 million holders of social media accounts of all types in Pakistan, 22.2 per cent of the population, a figure that was accurate in December 2017 and is higher today by an unknown number. By far the greatest proportion of that number belongs to Facebook, with 30 million-plus and Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter far behind. The primary reason for the growth of social media usage is the successful penetration of 3G and 4G technologies, assisted by the boom in sales of affordable smart devices. The middle class is expanding, there are changes in poverty levels that make entry to hitherto beyond reach services more possible, and the under-30s are internet-connected almost across the spectrum. And millions of them are voters.
How much time do we spend considering how much of ourselves gets put on the internet every time we log on? Probably not much. Those that are careful about their social profiles may think they have a small digital footprint — probably not true. Most of us, myself included, write off the fact that we have made a Faustian pact with the internet for the advantages and benefits derived from its use. Effectively, and no matter what cloaking device we may use, we all stand naked in cyberspace — or at least naked to those with the tools to unwrap us.
So what did CA do? It markets itself as a provider of consumer research, providing targeted advertising — the hidden persuader — for political and corporate clients. Among other things it claims to have influenced elections in Kenya in 2013 and 2017 and was instrumental in bringing to power the now-president Uhuru Kenyatta. The Trump campaign employed CA which again claims it played a part in his election.
How? Starting in 2014 CA obtained data on 50 million Facebook users via a means that was deceptive. They were unaware of being ‘harvested’ and 270,000 downloaded an application — and how many of us think before we download — which passed their data and that of their friends to CA. The claim by CA to have subsequently deleted the data or what it was used for rings a tad hollow.
The UK-based Channel 4 News secretly filmed the CA chief executive claiming that his company could use “honey traps” to ensnare politicians in “compromising” activities, use bribes and ex-intelligence officers to unearth information damaging to politicians and their parties, hurting their electoral chances.
For Facebook the events that have followed have been catastrophic though they are unlikely to have suffered a mortal wound, economies of scale will be the life preserver. The brand is going to suffer a short-term loss of confidence, and regulatory activity that is governmentally driven is going to follow swiftly around the world. This is the cyber equivalent of the Weinstein Moment that ripped apart the hidden culture of sexual abuse of women in the entertainment industry.
And what of those 44 million Pakistanis connected to the interthingies? We may rest assured that the very tech-savvy geeks in the depths of Pak-cyber will have already tagged themselves as hidden persuaders and be hard at it. Think before you press ‘send’.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 22nd, 2018.