Like they say about substance abuse problems, admitting it is the first step. Perhaps now something can be done about this, but I have to tell you, I don't have much faith that anything will be done. The tech giants are too good at what they do, and they are very much our lifeblood at this point, especially during this pandemic. Collection of location data will become even more paramount going forward.
My favorite part of Zuboff's theory here is equating us as the natives and the tech giants as colonialists. The parallel is apt, scarily so. We all know what happened to the natives. I fear the same fate awaits us all.
Scary. I remember my (tech resistant) son explaining gmails’ and google’s deal with me decades ago. “They are free.” “They will know everywhere you go on the web and hound you about buying along your journeys. “He accepted the bargain with a plan to ignore the ads so I did too. Now it has gone much deeper although we think we know what they are doing we really don’t...they know how fast we are walking! She uses the terms informed bewilderment and colonized. As our predigital grandparents told us long ago-there is no free lunch.
I still maintain that the term "surveillance capitalism" simply doesn't make any sense. Capitalism is an economic system and there have always been markets for information about consumer behavior. Comparing Google and Facebook using user data to sell ads to the slaughter of indigenous populations is downright shameful and highlights the fear mongering opportunism of the author.
Something that occurred to me: When the social capitalists started on their march to this new future, were they self-aware? Did they know what they were doing, or did they stumble into their role the same way we did, simply trying to get on with life? Of course, they are aware now, but did their realization of their own nature merely lead ours in time rather than intent? If that is true (or not), they are certainly aware now, and are taking full advantage of the situation that we are all in.
Yoo, this book is going straight to the top of my list of things I want to read. Also...her hair is amazing.
Once we searched Google, but now Google searches us. Once we thought of digital services as free, but now surveillance capitalists think of us as free.
Wooooot. I knew exactly who you were talking about when I read, “her hair is amazing.” Lol. It is. So is her book. It’s a beast. I haven’t finished it, but I have spent a lot of time with it.
AGH I can't wait to check it out. I really miss my library, my holds list is getting unwieldy while I wait to be able to satisfy diving down these rabbit holes.
Like they say about substance abuse problems, admitting it is the first step. Perhaps now something can be done about this, but I have to tell you, I don't have much faith that anything will be done. The tech giants are too good at what they do, and they are very much our lifeblood at this point, especially during this pandemic. Collection of location data will become even more paramount going forward.
My favorite part of Zuboff's theory here is equating us as the natives and the tech giants as colonialists. The parallel is apt, scarily so. We all know what happened to the natives. I fear the same fate awaits us all.
Scary. I remember my (tech resistant) son explaining gmails’ and google’s deal with me decades ago. “They are free.” “They will know everywhere you go on the web and hound you about buying along your journeys. “He accepted the bargain with a plan to ignore the ads so I did too. Now it has gone much deeper although we think we know what they are doing we really don’t...they know how fast we are walking! She uses the terms informed bewilderment and colonized. As our predigital grandparents told us long ago-there is no free lunch.
For everyone reading this: try to be self aware and help others become so too.
I still maintain that the term "surveillance capitalism" simply doesn't make any sense. Capitalism is an economic system and there have always been markets for information about consumer behavior. Comparing Google and Facebook using user data to sell ads to the slaughter of indigenous populations is downright shameful and highlights the fear mongering opportunism of the author.
Some amazing comments in here. This one is significant in my view:
I liked the comparison to a debate about how many hours a 7-year-old can work without even considering that child labor is wrong.
Something that occurred to me: When the social capitalists started on their march to this new future, were they self-aware? Did they know what they were doing, or did they stumble into their role the same way we did, simply trying to get on with life? Of course, they are aware now, but did their realization of their own nature merely lead ours in time rather than intent? If that is true (or not), they are certainly aware now, and are taking full advantage of the situation that we are all in.
Yoo, this book is going straight to the top of my list of things I want to read. Also...her hair is amazing.
Wooooot. I knew exactly who you were talking about when I read, “her hair is amazing.” Lol. It is. So is her book. It’s a beast. I haven’t finished it, but I have spent a lot of time with it.
AGH I can't wait to check it out. I really miss my library, my holds list is getting unwieldy while I wait to be able to satisfy diving down these rabbit holes.