Don't 'like' to 'check in'

Buying gas this morning and always being in the habit of ‘checking in’ to Foursquare made me realize today that this app is not getting me anywhere.  The app is not rewarding me besides bragging rights for mayorships for being such a creature of habit by checking in every time I enter a store, etc.  It got me thinking all it does is allow my friends to ‘stalk’ me besides compete for mayorships.  Again, this goes along with my thoughts on ‘liking’ a page because those sponsors, brands, retailers who don’t give us anything either.  In fact, they are taking from us. 

By ‘checking in’ we are allowing that application and  all its affiliates to track us, track our spending, track our entertainment, where we go, where we eat, what we like to do, who we might have ‘checked in’ with. They are learning about us (similar to us being watched by those we cannot see from space).  The information they are gathering about us, about our friends, about their friends, all through a small button called ‘check in’ or ‘like’ is phenomenal.  No wonder my inbox is getting hammered with more junk mail, I can’t prove they are selling my information to third party vendors, this is just a theory.

Another theory I have is that society is preparing us for the end of days, moreso for the days where we cannot leave the house.  Think about it, they want us to post pictures, tag others, share interests all online.  Even a simple RSVP by a small button on the internet is foreign to some.  So instead of physically having people over for the holidays, we are seeing photos of Christmas trees being decorated, children taking pictures with Santa Claus.  Taking the personal out of Christmas, holidays and the day to day interaction of people on a physical level.  Could this be brainwashing us in the event the earth goes through a devastation prohibiting us from leaving the house? Are they preparing us – subliminally in hopes to not cause mass chaos when and if it does happen?  Just a thought, it does make sense to me at least.

As of today, I am ‘unliking’ pages I have liked (at least by having a store credit card they send me monthly coupons and/or accumulate points to purchase other items).  I am not ‘checking in’ anymore to places where I could be stalked, that don’t reward or award for any purpose other than to track my whereabouts.  It’s taking up too much valuable time when I could be doing something else more rewarding.

You may think I am overreacting, overthinking this, and becoming paranoid.  The honest truth of the matter is our identity is who we are, where we live and what we do, our time is precious, our privacy sacred.  For any app or internet service to take advantage of that secretly, and for anyone else to have access to that information is purely not acceptable (hence the increase of identity theft).  Might as well carry a tracking device on our backs, similar to EZPass or hire a PI.  I will not ‘check in’ with the  brainwashed at least not until those from space decide to ‘like’ my mind.