Opinion: The American Privacy Rights Act will hurt Utah business owners like me [Video]

The rise of social media has significantly changed how brick and mortar stores like mine operate. Yet while much has changed, at its core many things are still the same. Take, for instance, hair salons.

The way customers find stylists has been remarkably consistent throughout time: A customer gets a haircut they like, people ask where they got it, they refer a new customer to me.

Combining advertising with word of mouth is a powerful way for me to receive new business.

And while advertising technology has changed, the principles remain the same. Stylists build portfolios on social media and hashtags become a tool to track a stylist or salon. All of this occurs in a digital landscape where customers, fans and others track and discover new stylists. Social media has become a tool that has given individual stylists like me the ability to build a community with customers.

This …