The Maya Analytica

 
The Scandal

Recently Cambridge Analytica(CA) firm has come to limelight . It used personal information of millions of people, collected without their consent from facebook for their psychological analysis for politically influencing their choices.

Choice which subjugates
 
Social media platforms like facebook, twitter, instagram etc. offer opportunity for people to have their virtual identity in the digital world. When people choose to be on these platforms, they get under the norms of those platforms.
It reminded me of ‘Maya’- an illusory potency of God as described in the Vedic literature. That potency is used to govern the affairs of this material world -which is temporary and separate from the eternal and ever blissful spiritual world – the abode of God.  The living beings that choose to live independent lives from God are given under norms of Maya to forget about their eternal nature and assume a temporary identity in this world.

A nudge that titillates

The Facebook and Google store every bit of information of a user on their platform, even the lines deleted while typing. They use the information for binding the person to their platform by offering him personalized content of his interest.  This information is also used for nudging the individual with personalized ads which earn huge profit for social media giants.
CA exploited Facebook to harvest millions of people’s profiles. And built models to exploit what they knew about them and target their inner demons. It built a powerful software program to predict and influence choices at the ballot box to elect Mr. Trump by targeted facebook advertising.

As per Spiritual understanding the material energy (Maya) binds a living being to this world by offering him various facilities of enjoyment as per the interest of the person. Material energy also constantly nudges or sometimes even exhorts a person to make choices under its influence based on his earlier choices. So although one thinks one is utilizing his freedom, in actuality, he has been constantly nudged to make choices which appear to be his own fully.



Wisdom that liberates
After the fallout of Cambridge Analytica row #deletefacebook went viral. But the data shows, this campaign has not been very successful because people have been much attached to use this platform. So they are continuing even at the fear of jeopardising their freedom.  The suggestion would be to at least sagaciously use the platform to be least affected, by choosing various security options wisely.
The living beings also get attached to the material energy at the cost of losing their freedom at her will. Very few people can make prudent choice of leaving grip of it. What needed is a wisdom & lifestyle, which makes one immune to her negative influences while staying in this world. Then one can experience liberation from her clutches.