The main reasons for their lack of trust are companies sharing data with third parties (48%), security threats and viruses (35%) and increasing Government surveillance (21%).
As a result of these fears, 80% state they have restricted their online behaviour in some way. On one hand privacy is clearly important but sometimes a discount, or the feeling of being part of a brand’s world, or simply convenience might be enough of an incentive to shift consumers in the opposite direction.
Consumers are already sharing plenty of information about themselves online, every time they use a free online service such as email or Facebook, or when they swipe their supermarket loyalty card while grocery shopping. They effectively become a goldmine of data ready to be exploited by companies, governments and criminals alike, however this all happens subconsciously so it’s not perceived as a loss of privacy.
In the US some companies, such as 32M, have taken a step further and held ‘chip parties’, during which employees willingly get microchipped to be able to open doors and buy food among other things.
Societal trends change over decades and as technology plays an ever bigger role in people’s lives – by extension it may only be a matter of time before it becomes physically embedded in the human body. At Emotional Logic we are passionate about the subconscious – if you want to find out more contact us today.
