The Age of Surveillance Capitalism summary

The story of surveillance capitalism is a modern one. But to understand its rise and current dominance, we need to look to the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, the rules of capitalism itself underwent a significant change.

The key message here is: Prior changes to capitalism helped loosen regulations and change attitudes for the online age.

Surveillance capitalism hasn’t gone unnoticed. Indeed, many intelligent people are concerned. What’s interesting, though, is that when we look back, we see that these concerns can quickly fade and turn into acceptance.

The key message here is: Early concerns about online privacy were dashed in favor of loose surveillance laws.

Initial concerns about the internet-wide tracking capabilities of cookies have clearly fallen by the wayside. And as we look at how surveillance capitalism came to be, we can see that this is a recurring trend. There is initial outrage upon discovering the invasive practices of surveillance capitalists. But this eventually turns into a sense of begrudging acceptance.

Sadly, this plays right into the hands of companies like Google and Facebook, who explicitly want the general public to believe that their practices are inevitable.

At this point, you may be thinking, sure, Google collects all sorts of data, but I don’t have anything to hide, so why should I care?

Well, even if you’re willing to live your life like an open book, if you’re a fan of democracy or free will, you should care. As we’ll see, collecting location and browsing habits on individuals is only one step in the process. 

Given that a significant portion of Silicon Valley is into analyzing behavioral data, it makes sense that companies like Google and Facebook would be interested in the murky field of behaviorism.

After all, behaviorism teaches that free will is but an illusion; all behavior can be explained by the circumstances that precede it. Expose people to specific stimuli and you’ll get a specific response. 

In 1948, two books came out. One was B. F. Skinner’s Walden Two. This presented his version of a utopian world where extreme behaviorism was understood and accepted, and people stopped concerning themselves with the silly illusion of personal freedom. The second book was George Orwell’s 1984, which also offered a look at a world without personal freedom. But rather than presenting it as a utopia, Orwell clearly saw it as a dystopia.

One of these books, Walden Two, was widely panned by critics upon its release, while the other continues to be a painfully relevant warning for what our world could look like if we give up too much control to those in positions of power.

So, what can be done about surveillance capitalism?

First of all, it’s important for people to realize the true scope of what’s going on behind the scenes, and that there are other options.