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It’s not just journalists whose quirks and interests are being monitored: Profiles of their audiences are now accessible to anyone with an internet connection.
In November, online-market-research firm YouGov launched a new app that profiles the target audiences of everything from Facebook to the Bible. The data sets are compiled from over 200,000 adult YouGov members in the UK, with plans to include US audiences in 2015. The basic app is free, but subscribers to the professional tool have access to connected data sets.
The app doesn’t profile average readers and viewers but rather reflects what differentiates, say, a reader of The New York Times from a reader of The Guardian or The Economist.
The quintessential English reader of The New York Times (online) is a politically right-leaning male media professional who lists among his top hobbies and activities: “sitting around doing as little as possible.” The quintessential reader (also male) of The Economist (print) works in business or finance, describes himself as occasionally arrogant, and loves the movie The Wolf of Wall Street. All according to the YouGov app, of course.
Here’s what the quintessential reader of The Guardian (print) looks like, according to the app:
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