Publications

Vol. 13 / No. 1 / 2021

The Dark Sides of Digital Marketing

Unintended Effects • Marketing Dystopia • Privacy • Algorithms • The Illusion of Free Choice • Automated Decisions • Augmented Intelligence • Metrics Gone Wrong
 

In this issue, we take a closer look at the dark side of digital marketing: What are unintended consequences of excessive use and automatized processing of personal data? Do algorithms really act in consumers´ best interest? Do they help us make better decisions or has freedom of choice become a mere illusion? What is the role of data driven algorithms in the spread of fake news and the polarization of societies? We do not only point the finger at the dystopian consequences of digital marketing, we also present ideas about how to mitigate some of these harmful effects - for individuals, for companies, and for society.


Guest Editor
Caroline Wiertz, Professor of Marketing, Associate Dean for Entrepreneurship, Cass Business School, City, University of London

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2021-05

Illuminating the Dark: Exploring the Unintended Consequences of Digital Marketing

Our relationship to technology is deeply paradoxical. On the one hand, we buy and constantly use more devices and apps, leaving our traces …

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2021-05

Marketing Automation: Marketing Utopia or Marketing Dystopia?

Automated and personalized interactions may increase the relevance of marketing offers, but they also have less-positive economic and …

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2021-05

Algorithm-Based Advertising: Unintended Effects and the Tricky Business of Mitigating Adverse Outcomes

Some algorithms may have similar discriminatory tendencies to humans. The presented study investigates gender bias in social media …

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2021-05

Metrics Gone Wrong: What Managers Can Learn from the 2016 US Presidential Election

In the 2016 presidential election, the vast majority of available polls showed a comfortable lead for Hillary Clinton throughout the whole …

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2021-05

Ghosts in the Dark: How to Prepare for Times of Hyper-Privacy

Even the dark web has its bright sides because it can be used as an unregulated testbed for technologies that will eventually appear on …

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2021-05

Instead of People Using Technology, Technology is Using People

The progress of artificial intelligence and new technologies triggers hot debates about the future of human life. While fans of the …

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2021-05

The Illusion of Free Choice in the Age of Augmented Decisions

In our augmented world, many decision situations are designed by smart technologies. Artificial intelligence helps reduce information …

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2021-05

Young, but not Naive: Leaders of Tomorrow Expect Limits to Digital Freedom to Preserve Freedom

In a recent survey, about 900 “Leaders of Tomorrow” from more than 90 countries all over the world shared their opinions about “the impact …

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Professor Caroline Wiertz presents the issue of the NIM Marketing Intelligence Review on "The Dark Sides of Digital Marketing"

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