Tweet mystery?

I have received this tweet several times in the last couple of weeks. I am curious about your reaction. Do you see it in any way as manipulative?

I would predict that you have not received this tweet. I am guessing I received this specific tweet because I am in Hawaii AND because the source knows that I am not a resident. I see this as manipulative. The focus of the tweet is quite deceptive – It purports that a hurricane is bearing down on Hawaii and this is “local and breaking”. A hurricane would be unlikely at this time and year round residents would know this. I spend time in Hawaii each year and unless I stop and think I might be alarmed and press the button to install something despite the fact that I already have several weather apps on my phone that know exactly where I am and offer weather information relevant to this location.

If you look carefully, you will see in comparatively small print and in more difficult grey the message that this is a sponsored tweet and an ad.

This is a great example of surveillance capitalism. Information about me personally is used to send me an ad intended to shape my behavior in way that would not be immediately obvious to me. This is what future citizens (students) need to learn about technology and this important knowledge has nothing to do with teaching them to code. More and more, this is the way coding skill is applied.