Table of Contents
In her book Surveillance Capitalism, author Shoshana Zuboff provides a detailed analysis of the business practices of companies like Google and Facebook. Zuboff coins the term “surveillance capitalism” to describe the way these companies collect data on users and then use that data to sell targeted ads. Zuboff argues that surveillance capitalism is a new form of capitalism that poses a threat to democracy and humanity.
She makes a case that the way companies like Facebook and Google use data to target ads and manipulate users is not only unethical but also illegal. She argues that the way these companies use data to manipulate people is turning them into “surveillance subjects”.She says that the companies that participate in surveillance capitalism use data to manipulate and control users. For example, Facebook can use data to show users targeted ads based on their personal preferences. Surveillance capitalism is a big problem because it is unfair and it harms people.
She discusses how the companies use data to target ads and manipulate people’s opinions. Surveillance capitalism fundamentally differentiates between the 01001000 and the 10011000 , the former being those who have access to the data and the latter being those who can buy it. She argues that the latter group has a lot of power and can use it to manipulate society. For example, they can use their money to buy politicians who will pass laws that benefit them, or they can use their money to influence the media. She discusses how the power of the “1 percent” is growing and this is a big problem because the “1 percent” has a lot of power to manipulate the rest of society.
The Origins of Surveillance Capitalism
Zuboff begins her book by tracing the origins of surveillance capitalism. She asserts that the practice began in the early 2000s with Google’s development of the search engine algorithm. This algorithm was designed to collect data on users’ search queries in order to provide them with targeted ads. Zuboff argues that this marked a major shift in the way capitalism works. Previous forms of capitalism were based on production, but surveillance capitalism is based on prediction. This shift has profound implications for society. The way that surveillance capitalism works is that companies collect data on users and then use that data to make predictions about their future behavior. These predictions are then used to sell targeted ads. Zuboff argues that this new form of capitalism is a threat to democracy and humanity.
Let us consider this idea in more depth.
In classical capitalism, businesses sell goods or services to people who want to buy them. In surveillance capitalism, businesses collect data about people and then sell that data to other businesses. For example, Google collects data about what people search for on the internet. They then sell that data to businesses who want to advertise to those people. Under production capitalism, companies produce goods and services that are then sold to consumers. The goal is to make a profit by selling more than it costs to produce. Under surveillance capitalism, companies collect data on users and then use that data to make predictions about their future behavior. The goal is to make a profit by selling ads that are targeted at users based on those predictions.
Okay, so what’s the problem? The problem, as Zuboff sees it, is that surveillance capitalism creates huge disparities in wealth and power. It allows the 1 percent to get even richer while the rest of us are left struggling. For example, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has accumulated more wealth than the bottom half of American households combined. Meanwhile, the number of people living in poverty has continued to rise. In other words, the old way of doing business, by buying and selling goods and services to people, cannot even begin to compete with surveillance capitalism. But surveillance capitalism is unethical; it is not simply a different way of doing business. And the people who benefit from it are a minority of the population. The problem is systemic. It is not simply a matter of one company selling ads to another company, or one group of people getting richer while the rest of us are left struggling.
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The Business Practices of Surveillance Capitalists
Zuboff goes on to discuss the various business practices of surveillance capitalists. She argues that these companies use their user data to create “behavioral futures markets.” These markets are used to sell predictions about user behavior to advertisers. In addition, Zuboff argues that surveillance capitalists use their user data to manipulate and control people. For example, she claims that Facebook uses its data to keep users hooked on its platform by constantly giving them things they want to see (such as likes, comments, and new friends). This manipulation is harmful because it keeps people addicted to Facebook and prevents them from engaging in more meaningful activities. Zuboff also argues that surveillance capitalists use their user data to unfairly manipulate elections. She claims that they do this by using their data to target ads at swing voters and by using their data to influence the media. Overall, Zuboff makes a strong case that surveillance capitalism is a new form of capitalism that poses a threat to democracy and humanity.
The negative consequences of surveillance capitalism
In summary, Zuboff discusses the negative consequences of surveillance capitalism. She argues that this new form of capitalism poses a threat to democracy and humanity. Sheclaims that surveillance capitalists are eroding privacy rights, personal autonomy, and democracy itself. In addition, Zuboff argues that surveillance capitalism is creating a world where only those who can afford to pay for access to information will have any power.
Zuboff coins the term “surveillance capitalism” to describe the way these companies collect data on users and then use that data to sell targeted ads. Zuboff argues that surveillance capitalism is a new form of capitalism that poses a threat to democracy and humanity.