lOMoARcPSD|266586 02
Running Head: Your Phone is Listening to You
Your Phone is Listening to You: Topic Analysis Paper
Amanda R. Pridmore
Liberty University
SCOM 110: Social Media and Culture
Professor Frank Meyers
April 25th, 2022
lOMoARcPSD|266586 02
2
Your Phone is Listening to You
Abstract
The topic I have chosen for my research paper is off the advertising totem pole. However, I will
be investigating, "Do our phones listen to our conversations for ads?" This issue is more
prevalent now than ever for the average cell phone owning citizen. It will be an exciting
investigative opportunity.
lOMoARcPSD|266586 02
3
Your Phone is Listening to You
Your Phone is Listening to You
As modern-day humans, we tend to fall prey to conspiracy theories. According to
Norwegian Professor, Asbjørn Dyrenda, “conspirational thinking spans everything from 5G
theories to believing the referee really is against your team” (Dyrenda). One conspiracy theory,
that has always captivated my attention most, is the possibility that my phone is listening to me. I
don’t know how else to explain the ads that appear for a product just as I’m talking about it.
Behavioral advertising is the culminative data that is built up over time about your
internet activity. Companies can bid on said information to target you with their ads. Among this
will be data that links you, such as geolocation, or if you’ve given the same address when
shopping online. This is severely unethical. No one should have access to your personal activities
and record them without your permission.
Just last week, I stopped a random person on the street to ask what lipstick she was
wearing, since I didn't recognize it and loved the shade. It was made by a company best known
for their luxurious Japanese skincare, of which I never even knew made lipstick, Sheseido. It was
a two-minute conversation, at the absolute most. I go to sit in my car and open a social media
app, as one does. The exact same brand is all a sudden a sponsored post. Literally the very first
advertisement to appear. Keep in mind, this brand I have never heard of before, so it was a
startling moment to see it on an advertisement on my phone just mere minutes after a random
pedestrian had to spell out the name of the company for me.
Ads are targeted to your demographic and browsing history, so for an ad to come up for a
thing that’s not only strange to be marketed to your demographic but also not in line with your
browsing history, it raises quite a few red flags. Once, my boyfriend was explaining stop motion
Lego movies to his younger sister when I was in the room. As a female in my early 20’s who’s
lOMoARcPSD|266586 02
4
Your Phone is Listening to You
never searched for Lego products or interacted with any Lego-based content, I find it extremely
strange that I got an ad for Lego sets a few hours later when I had previously never seen such an
ad.
If you have a bewildering variety of "apps" installed on your phone, any, or all of them
might be "listening" to your conversations. They probably have keyword listening programs
running, that just listen for keywords, and then transmit only those keywords along with
identifying information. However, it could be just a coincidence too, on the contrary. But the
exact item to show up in social media feed seems all too coincidental.
Attempting the use of keyword of which is something that you never, ever talk about. For
instance, cat litter, maybe? Every time you are on the phone with someone, say "My cats need
more litter, they used all of the clumping kind." And see if those specific ads begin to make
themselves known. Be sure to choose a topic that is random and of which you never frequent
conversation about. Along with said topic having a niche market so that advertisers among these
markets will be caught red handed with their ads. Unfortunately for the time being, we do not
and will not know the truth of this. That is the problem and why proprietary software isn’t ideal.
I think it’s naïve to waive these things off as coincidences though. It’s no secret that these
companies make billions off us by selling advertising, and the reason it’s so popular and
profitable is because it is targeted. I can't prove it (proprietary software), but I'm 99% certain that
if not your whole phone, certain apps are listening to your conversations, reading all your text
messages and emails, and mining out of all your personal data like there's no tomorrow. We need
to have control over who has this information and why. Data protection is a key battleground for
human rights and privacy.
lOMoARcPSD|266586 02
5
Your Phone is Listening to You
A passage from Proverbs that resembles the topic of phones listening to you for
advertising purposes is as follows, “A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes
out lies” (Proverbs 14:5). This indirectly addresses the topic perfectly. Those who are true to God
will refrain from spreading falsehoods, while those who are not faithful to Him will spread
ingenuine information for their own selfish, personal indulgence.
lOMoARcPSD|266586 02
6
Your Phone is Listening to You
References
Dyrenda, Asbjørn. “Which Conspiracy Theory Do You Believe in?” Conspiracy Theories,
Merican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 11 Feb. 2021,
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/563747.
Pettijohn, Nathan. “Of Course Your Phone Is Listening to You.” Of Course Your Phone Is
Listening To You, Forbes Magazine, 3 Sept. 2019,
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanpettijohn/2019/09/03/of-course-your-phone-is-
listening-to-you/?sh=7b3637ba6a3f.
Stouffer, Clare. “Is My Phone Listening to Me? Yes, Here's Why and How to Stop It.” Norton,
NortonLifeLock, 26 Aug. 2021, https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-how-to-is-my-
phone-listening-to-me.html.
Komado, Kim. “You're Not Paranoid. Your Phone Really Is Listening in.” Fox News, FOX News
Network, 14 Dec. 2019, https://www.foxnews.com/tech/youre-not-paranoid-your-phone-
really-is-listening-in.
Kleinman, Zoe. “Is Your Smartphone Listening to You?” BBC News, BBC, 2 Mar. 2016,
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35639549.
Google. “Providing a Safe and Trusted Experience for Everyone.” Developer Policy Center,
Google, https://play.google.com/about/developer-content-policy/.
All, Reply. “#109 Is Facebook Spying on You?: Reply All.” Gimlet, Gimlet, 15 Apr. 2019,
https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/z3hlwr/109-is-facebook-spying-on-you.
