The chief executive of a Hemel Hempstead company says it is possible to predict what someone will do in future based on their use of websites like Facebook and Twitter.
Andrew Carr, the chief executive of Bull Information Systems, a French-owned company on the Maylands Estate, spoke to business leaders at a meeting at Best Western The Watermill Hotel, in Bourne End, on Thursday (July 4).
“Social media is changing the way businesses operate,” said Mr Carr. He said that is possible to predict someone’s behaviour in nine months’ time from their posts on sites like Facebook.
Data and infomation about customers will allow for items to be directly marketed to them. This, he said, would lead to an increase in “social paranoia” about the information posted online but it would still be an incredibly important resource for companies.