Data knows no morals

Every time we are on the web, we reveal something about ourselves. We are constantly leaving digital footprints: Where we are, what interests us at the moment and what plans we have for our future are all algorithmized into probabilities, and then, as if by magic, more or less suitable offers appear. Amazon uses customer data to calculate which product we will order next and plans its stock accordingly. Airlines show us different fares depending on our frequent flyer status, and the prices on hotel booking portals adapt not only to the occupancy rate, but also to the weather forecast and our credit card color. And there are cases where those who book via iPhone pay more than other smartphone owners. This is called dynamic pricing. It is integrated into most online store systems.Some people lose their sense of decency on the webOf course, we have to give the web providers tips so that relevant information reaches us. It's quite the same in the offline world. When asked "Which flavor would you like?" in front of the ice cream display case, no one would respond with a curt "That's none of your business!" Data octopus Giovanni? You have to give your favorite Italian a few hints so that he can keep your favorite place free, decant your favorite wine and conjure up your favorite dish. But as soon as you're sitting comfortably on the couch looking for something on the web, annoying pop-up banners attack us without being asked, screaming at us, blocking our view, following us and insulting our senses. I call that coercion. If bold ads were superimposed over editorial content in a newspaper, nobody would accept it. Of course, users understand that free web content has to be financed by advertising, but not like this! "A store would never plant a channel on my shoulder after I've shopped in it. On the web, that's the standard, and it's just wrong," says internet activist Doc Searls, co-author of the Cluetrain Manifesto, in an interview.We prefer to pay with data rather than money"Facebook, Google and the like show us how far people will go to curtail their freedom in order to be part of a community," writes psychologist Ines Imdahl in her book "Werbung auf der Couch". Yes, there is no doubt that solidarity and belonging to a group are fundamental for human herd animals, and we are also aware that we cannot solve all problems alone in the face of excessive complexity. So if social networks are virtually vital for us, we inevitably accept their general terms and conditions, even if they put us at a disadvantage, and if a website has content that is indispensable for us, being spied on by cookies is the lesser evil. And if something is really useful to us, most people would rather pay with data than with money. "Take my data and give me a better life in return" is the deal. But the cell phone as an algorithm bug? And the TV as Big Brother? No, thank you!Data knows no moralsProtection against spying attacks is essential. Because the data wolves (like Little Red Riding Hood) always seem so harmless. And they probably eat a lot of chalk so that they can lull us to sleep with their advertising slogans. "We want to make it as easy as possible for people to interact with the media in their environment," says the music recognition service Shazam, for example. However, if the app required for this is transferred to Auto Shazam, it listens to everything in its surroundings, as do Barbie dolls with built-in conversation software. They transmit the conversations that a child has with the toy to the manufacturer Mattel's servers. Outrage is particularly understandable: data knows no morals. Morality must come from people. The idea of profit does not justify every means. And not everything that is feasible should be done. The relationship of trust with the customer comes first. Success no longer comes at the expense of third parties or the environment, but at the expense of improving people's lives.Are algorithms stupid or smart?According to Wikipedia, an algorithm is a clear set of instructions for solving a task that is formulated so precisely that it can also be processed by a machine. Using mathematical formulas, an algorithm evaluates what happened in the past in order to project it into the future, with the filter and recommendation algorithms of the major internet providers determining what information we hear, see and read as a priority. In this way, the web giants not only intervene in the formation of opinion, they also direct purchasing flows on a grand scale. We receive more and more suggestions about what we already like. In other words, we are becoming prisoners of our own preferences. Internet activist Eli Pariser calls this the "filter bubble." Unfortunately, many algorithms are still pretty stupid. As a result, the robotic lawnmower that we bought long ago still follows us around the web for weeks. Advanced algorithms, on the other hand, are self-learning and smart. If you click on a notice such as "no longer consider this article for recommendations", you can even control the algorithms yourself; smart algorithms also show the user unknown things again and again, if only to find out what interests them and what does not. Many not only evaluate the past of this one person, but also the behavior of many other users with similar preferences. "And they give more weight to more recent findings about a user than to old ones when they recommend something - in other words, they do not assume that their interests are forever unchanging," write Kathrin Passig and Sascha Lobo in their book "Internet - Blessing or Curse".The algorithm machine in your own headBy the way, we all know algorithm machines, we all have one in our heads: the hippocampus. It is responsible for memory and helps us to make decisions. Incoming sensory information is decoded here, analyzed for comparable patterns, interpreted on the basis of past experiences and linked to form a neuronal network; the connections between the nerve cells that belong to the network are strengthened with repetition. On this basis, the hippocampus continuously generates all possible if-then predictions and suggests the most appropriate course of action. The larger the repertoire of knowledge, procedures, strategies, methods and paths from which our brain can draw, the better the approach to a solution will be.Such empirical knowledge, which presents itself to us as intuition, cannot be found even in the vastness of the web. And certainly not in data packages. It sits deep in the head of those who have it. Intuition is a fast track to the goal. It can make decisions more reliable, but - like algorithms - it can also deceive us. But machines cannot (yet) replace human intuition.Valuable helpers: algorithms in human formWe live in a recommendation society. Increasingly, "knowledgeable third parties", i.e. people who report credibly from their own experience, will play a major role. As ambassadors and pre-sellers, they are a great help to us because their helping hand benevolently guides the hesitant - and pre-sorts suitable products for us. We find them in our physical environment as well as in virtual reality: in private networks, in business networks, on the social web, on review platforms and "Ask Mom" portals. Their experience and their "likes" or "dislikes" are indicators in the information jungle; they prevent wastage and only recommend what really matters. They are the saving shore, a human algorithm so to speak, an indispensable link between the familiar and the uncertain. And where recommending works well, so does earning money.

Author Anne M. Schüller is a management thinker, keynote speaker, multiple award-winning bestselling author and business coach. With a degree in business administration, she is considered Europe's leading expert in touchpoint management and customer-focused corporate management. She is one of the most sought-after speakers in the German-speaking world. In 2015, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the German Speakers Association. Her clientele includes the elite of the German, Swiss and Austrian business world. Her Touchpoint Institute trains certified touchpoint managers. Further information: www.anneschueller.de and www.touchpoint-management.de