The Technology of Addiction
No one in America today goes anywhere without their electronic leash. I am talking about their cell phone. On everyone’s cell phone, there are apps. Some apps are paid for, some apps are free, but all of them are tracking you in some way. If you think its not happening to you, or that it doesn’t matter, I would suggest you read up on privacy and the harm that can be done when this information is used for nefarious purposes. Studies have shown that google tracks your location around 340 times a day. Google is a company with governments constantly regulating and monitoring their data collection. So what does this mean for apps and companies not being so closely scrutinized.?
If you use Facebook, the biggest offender of data violation in the eyes of most security organizations, they are consistently tracking everything you do, say, and use. Even though you may not have a Facebook account, if someone puts any information about you on Facebook, Facebook creates a file on you and sells that information when possible.
All this information collection, so what?
All this information can be bought and sold to anyone interested enough to want your information. Anything you post or do while using the app is stored. If you think Facebook messenger is private….it’s not. If you think your physical location is private…it’s not. If you think an of the image you have shared or posted on Facebook is secured…it’s not. Who you are, who you interact with, and what you are interested in is for sale at any time to the highest bidder.
Big Tobaccos data collection
Philip Morris and other tobacco companies are now starting to utilize technology to better market tobacco. Modern vaping products are getting more technologically advanced. They utilize apps on your phone or computer to deliver tobacco at different rates and amounts. But much like Facebook and just about every other app you have on your phone, they are tracking you.
The worst organization that can track you, tobacco companies, are starting. It is likely that tobacco companies will start tracking the number of puffs and the amount of liquid an individual uses. They will likely also start tracking the location and setting of use in addition to the individual using the product.
This information will then be used to find better ways to market and sell tobacco products and likely used to find better ways to sell to their new best possible target market. Sadly enough, this target market is our youth.
Building a youth market base that will likely last the lifetime off that base as soon as possible is likely the goal. When tobacco companies have more data regarding how to market to youth, they will use it with great success as has been seen with the current epidemic of youth vaping.
If you are not paying for it, you’re not the customer; you’re the product being sold
Andrew Lewis
So what can be done?
Going beyond apps specific to tobacco, individuals need to be aware that if something is free, developers are absolutely tracking everything they can about you and selling it. In regards to big tobacco, we as citizens need to push our legislation to restrict any data collection done by tobacco organizations, specifically information regarding our youth.
In an interview with a local southern Arizona school official, he also recommended for parents to become more involved and provide more support to the tobacco prevention legislation and education that is being provided. He also mentioned that we need to help provide more funding to prevention based education, especially for the youth of Arizona.
As a healthcare provider, I can not emphasize more about how an ounce of prevention is much better than pounds of treatment. If we could help the youth of Southern Arizona become more aware and undo the culture change big tobacco has made regarding vaping and the harm associated with vaping and tobacco, we would save the youth of America from the folly so many smokers suffer from today.
References
Infobase, film distributor, & PBS. (2018). The Facebook Dilemma : Part 1 (The Facebook Dilemma).
CBS News (2018). Mark Zuckerberg pressed on Facebook’s collection of personal data . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHszEcin5uE
Simon, M. (2018). Google Privacy Checkup FAQ: How to limit tracking and still use the apps you love. PC World (Online), 87-93.
Lasseter, T., Wilson, D., Wilson, T., & Bansal, B. (2018). Philip Morris device knows a lot about your smoking habit. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/tobacco-iqos-device/.
Vaping health hazards and need policy change 
The development of vaping products within the last decade have changed not only the way people are using tobacco and marijuana but also has impacted health in ways that are both known and unknown (McCausland et. al, 2019). Technology has not only allowed these devices to be created but it also helps market these products to the general population. Websites such as Facebook and Instagram are simple platforms for small businesses since they can have their own page to promote their product and have marketed vaping as a better alternative to cigarettes (McCusland et al., 2019). Sadly, instead, this appears to bring its own set of health problems and is taking lives of many people using these products. Since this is a recent and hot topic for many advocacy groups demanding policy regulation, I can only hope lives can be saved by regulations on these products. I think of technology in healthcare as a generally good thing but reading topics such as yours, I realize how harmful it can be as well. Technology has been an effective marketing tool for companies, and I do not see it slowing them down unless there is policy change for marketing and advertising. However, like cigarettes, I do not think these products will be going anyway any time soon without policy implementation.
References
McCausland, K., Maycock, B., Leaver, T., & Jancey, J. (2019). The messages presented in electronic cigarette–related social media promotions and discussion: Scoping review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(2), e11953. doi:10.2196/11953
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