Eighteen / Surveillance Capitalism, Social Media Psychology, Human Automation, and Australia's News Media Code
This edition talks about how surveillance capitalism is perpetually affecting our lives, psychology, and behaviors.
The Capitalism of Perpetual Surveillance
In 2001, Shoshana Zuboff coined the term 'Surveillance Capitalism' for what once was a panacea in the wake of the dot-com bust, which now has emerged as a form of capitalistic accumulation of behavioral data.
Read the article in full using the link below.
Podcasts recommendations are back!
What are we listening to?
Psychology Trumps Technology: How to Be a Better Communicator on Social Media (Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Techniques, 2021)
Everyone has heard, seen, or, at least, talked about the movie - The Social Dilemma, exposing not only the crony surveillance capitalism but also our dependence on social media platforms for constant validation from our peers.
This podcast, an initiative of the Stanford Business School, unpacks the psychology of social media communication. The conversation ranges from reacting to social media posts to managing your reputation among large audiences. It reiterates the importance of authenticity and self-awareness, wording and timing your social media posts to engage an audience and stand-out without taking much pressure.
To listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, use this link.
What are we Reading?
'The Goal is to Automate Us': Welcome to the Age of Surveillance Capitalism(John Naughton, 2019)
This Guardian article was the starting point for my research around surveillance capitalism, partly because Google decided to show this as a top result when I typed 'Surveillance Capitalism' in Google search, leading to this week's piece. This well-written feature, drawing inspiration from the book - The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff, reveals how people knew what was coming ahead of us and still couldn't prevent it from happening.
What are we Thinking?
In a recent instance, Facebook restricted people and publishers in Australia from viewing or sharing any news content in response to the News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code 2021. What it led to was a series of misinformation and an interruption in emergency services. Many criticize this move despite being a substantial step against the tech-giants unilaterally rule the social media space as it led to misleading information around COVID-19 vaccines.
The yoke of social media for information and misinformation has reached such a level that we knowingly or unknowingly have become a slave to it.
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To read my work, visit my website, What-if Economics.