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The appearance of capitalism was associated with the formation of the working class and affluent owners of production, but the new surveillance capitalism altered the classic perception of this system. Instead of owning factories, the new capitalists control people’s personal information. Indeed, the digitalization of data allowed to establish supremacy over almost 100% of global data (Zuboff). Everyone who volunteered to become a part of the Web lost one’s privacy (Zuboff). It is now hard to imagine an average American citizen without a Facebook account and Amazon Prime membership (Foer). People share all their personal information and constantly post updates on their daily lives on social media. However, the 2018 scandal related to Facebook’s illegal collection of users’ data for Cambridge Analytica for political purposes showed significant inequality between surveillance capitalists and ordinary people (Warzel). It appears that privacy became a treasure rather than a fundamental human right that was voluntarily handed over to digital platforms. Surveillance capitalism still possesses the most valuable asset, which is now information, but it established a different relationship with the working class through social media addiction.
Data has become a valuable product that can be collected, processed, and sold. Many users know that searching for specific information on Google or following a community on Facebook will result in a series of advertisements for products related to the search terms of the group’s activity. Unfortunately, in this case, digital platforms’ owners possess the right to collect data. This inequality in access to information resembles the classic bourgeoisie-working class relationship when capitalists dictate the conditions. The new term for such imbalance is “epistemic inequality,” which can be defined as unequal access to knowledge and purposeful misinformation to gain political and economic power (Zuboff). Surveillance capitalism did not change the social structure, but it modified methods of manipulation and control.
The new tools for surveillance capitalists are social media and online entertainment platforms, to which many people have become addicted. Despite a wave of criticism that Facebook receives about inappropriate content, most people continue to use it to find friends and share information. The company directors refuse to admit their fault for disrespecting the platform users, claiming that this vast social network will constantly improve (Warzel). Furthermore, the scandal about providing personal data of Facebook users to Cambridge Analytica to prime the population for making certain decisions during the Presidential election showed how much surveillance capitalism changed human interaction (Zuboff). Specifically, the new capitalist relationships are based on exchanging personal information and power for the unrestricted use of the social platform. The main problem with surveillance capitalism is that people lose their time, freedom, and power by providing their data to these companies, which can now control their choices and lives.
Overall, the new iteration of capitalism became more dangerous because it gave owners of information wealth and power to manipulate people’s purchasing and voting decisions. Inequality in access to data allowed data capitalists to sell people’s free will to producers of goods and services who seek new consumers. However, people appear to give their decision-making freedom voluntarily to have a chance for accessible communication and sharing updates about their lives. This system will not change suddenly and ban this feature of data collection for obtaining profit. Therefore, people should claim their right to privacy by actively communicating with the government or stop using social media in protest to regain their power over personal information.
Works Cited
Foer, Franklin. “The Tech Giants Are Dangerous, and Congress Knows It.” The Atlantic, 2020, Web.
Warzel, Charlie. “Facebook Can’t Be Reformed.” The New York Times, 2020, Web.
Zuboff, Shoshana. “You Are Now Remotely Controlled.” The New York Times, 2020, Web.
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