the system, or controlling what is (or isn't) recorded, performing for the self, tracking themselves to gain insight into their behavior, and performing for other people, or the importance of how other people viewed the person being tracked, as well as the control the person being tracked had over their data and thus how they are perceived. Cookies, flash cookies, and web beacons Additionally, privacy concerns surround cookies, flash cookies, and web beacons on websites today. Ultimately, five main concerns surround the usage of cookies, flash cookies, and web beacons, according to a study: Firstly, the authors note that users lack anonymity online, with cookies using unique identifiers and flash cookies enabling recognition of website visits Another concern the authors note is unintended uses of cookies, since cookies were initially designed to benefit the user's experience and engagement online, but have since morphed into a business run by advertisers in which personal data is sold for profit Users are likely unaware of how their personal information is being used, reflecting the surreptitious nature of data collection Some cookies trespass into the web users' own resources and are downloaded to the user's computer often without the user's awareness Lastly, the authors note that the threat of cookie sharing underscores how web users' personal information can become combined with other data from websites and even a social security number to create a more cohesive picture of the user Data capitalism Other scholars have defined a similarly extractive and destructive phenomenon called data capitalism. Data capitalism is an economic system enabling the redistribution of power towards those who have access to the information––namely, big corporations. There are three fundamental theories of how large companies engage users in virtual communities, reflecting the power of data capitalism on users today: The free and open network: in making products free, large companies make their products more accessible to a larger audience from which they can extract valuable data in exchange. The connection between people and machines: data capitalism promotes a connection between people and machines which is derived from the user's relationship to the technology itself. Increasingly, tracking and surveillance technology is profiling users and learning their preferences, users become more comfortable with their devices and a self-fulfilling prophecy continues. The value placed on data: new information asymmetries are proliferating that exacerbate inequality of information and allow only the most powerful access to most people's data.