Big Tech is in big trouble, at least from a reputational standpoint—the more we find out about the inner workings of the industry, the more skeptical we become. And new survey research conducted by The Kim Komando Show, one of the country’s most popular weekend radio shows, airing weekly across 400 stations to an estimated 6.5 million listeners, found that 86 percent of participants no longer trust Big Tech companies.
The poll of more than 6,000 people across the U.S. underscores the growing concerns surrounding the power and influence Big Tech companies have on society and the little confidence Americans have in the tech power players.
Key survey findings revealed that:
- 82.73 percent of those polled say they think smart speakers listen to what you say all of the time instead of only when you use the “wake” words. Kim recently explored how users can stop smart devices from listening to you and recording what you say.
- Nearly 60 percent fear their smartphone is spying on their activity and have had advertisements populate for something they were just discussing. Thankfully, Kim explained in a recent “Daily Tech Update” episode that this phenomenon is likely dumb luck!
- 84 percent of survey participants believe targeted ads that are based on browser history to be invasive. Good news, Komando.com recently recommended a privacy tip to say “no thanks” to personalized ads.
- Participants surveyed believe Big Tech has too much influence on politics, with Facebook and Twitter each at 92 percent.
- 67 percent of Facebook users would be willing to delete their account knowing that the social media platform tracks everything, sells data and cannot control what is posted on the site. If this applies to you, Kim discusses how exactly you can delete your Facebook (and Twitter) profiles for good.
- 92 percent of people surveyed think Google knows too much information about their personal lives. To combat this, Kim has rounded up alternatives to Google that won’t track your information.
“Since the onset of COVID-19, Big Tech companies have seen accelerated demand as the world has shifted to a more digitalized landscape. Across the board, the survey demonstrated that a majority of individuals worry that Big Tech has too much influence or know too much about our personal information, yet nearly 4 billion people use social media worldwide and the numbers continue to grow,” said digital-lifestyle expert and talk radio and podcast host Kim Komando, in a news release. “I do have hope that Americans are finally waking up to the fact that when a product is free, they are in fact the product.”
In addition to gathering an understanding of Americans’ most recent perception of Big Tech companies, the survey found that 76 percent used Google daily, followed by Microsoft (60 percent), Apple (49 percent), and Facebook (45 percent). Of the people surveyed, 40 percent reportedly used Amazon daily with 89 percent active shoppers on Amazon.com.
“Interestingly, with the world becoming more digitalized and the news of Instagram for Kids, more than 84 percent of people surveyed said they would prefer their children to be over the age of 15 in order to use Instagram. Maybe we are starting to see the damage social media does to our adult lives and how it’s robbing children of a healthy, happy start to their own,” she added.
The national survey was disseminated to subscribers to The Kim Komando Show newsletters and 6,351 individuals across the United States participated.
