The internet as we know it today was built to be affordable to the world population providing access to all who want to use it “for free”. You may then wonder: “Who is paying for all this?”
The answer is that advertisers generate the revenue for most of the websites on the internet. And that you the consumer provide the raw material that makes the purchase of those ads valuable. That raw material comes in the form of your personal data. Third parties use your personal data to infer a variety of things about you such as your demographic characteristics, mood, and intent to buy an item.
Social media companies have been especially effective in profiling individuals. Their design their sites to capture more than your purchase activity or browsing behaviour. The words you use, the context within which you use them, the friends or connections you make, and what you like are all data elements that contribute to your social media profile.
Your social media profile, in turn, affects the ads that you see. For example, if you are in the market for credit, your social media activity may have categorized your profile into a certain segment. This means you may only see certain types of offers in the form of ads. Your social media profile could affect the types of job opportunities you see and whether you are able to get into a college or university. A recent survey done by CareerBuilder showed that 70% of employers weigh a prospect’s social media profile before making a decision. Another study done by Kaplan showed that 35% of college admissions officers look into applicants social media accounts when making a decision.
ScoresMatter’s goal is to remove some of the mystery that might surround your understanding of your Social Media Profile. Our service allows you to connect directly to your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter account so that you can retrieve your personalized reports and scores. Our tools and guides allow you to understand what your profile means for you and how you can improve it, and change something about your settings that might be of concern. We also keep all the reports and scores that we retrieve from your data confidential for only you and do not share any of it with third parties.
We predict that one day your Social Media Profile may be as pivotal as a credit report. Even now your social activity has implications for your life events and financial security. With our service you will have full access to your profile and scores, empowering you to control the way others perceive you.