In her book “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism”, Shoshana Zuboff (2019) asserts that because of the change of how the internet is changing the societal fabric in the 21st century, big tech will be able to infiltrate into all aspects of our lives and not only gather behavioral data but also change and manipulate behavior. Predicting human behavior is linked to the current extraction of abnormal economic rents by monopolistic giants such as Google and Facebook. They understand better and better when is the best moment to show us a targeted advertising, how we feel physically, where are we planning to go and what else can be sold to us through their platforms on our way or at our destination. However, they are currently tied to the realm of the digital space. Once they start incorporating in the physical world through city infrastructure, home appliances, health solutions and so on (aka Internet of Things, IoT), they will have enough power, knowledge and influence to move to the next level where they have “economies of action” (Zuboff 2019, p.197-200). The IoT will enable the internet and its powers to become so ingrained in our everyday lives, that we will forget of its presence, implying that we are less vigilant about its influences. Zuboff (2019, p.200) defines these “economies of action” as the ability to intervene and shape human behavior, not just observe it. By broadening their economies of scope, the big tech companies will be able to know ever more about what can influence our (purchasing) behavior, our life choice, such as education and asset purchasing, and extract monetary value by making us the “animals” of the system.
The general public tends to view the risks of IoT technologies linked to cybersecurity, bottleneck and data breaches and the outcomes of such events (Pew Research Center, 2017). For companies, non-compliance to private data regulations such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and lack of trust or loss of trust by users are other so-called ‘risks’ for integrating IoT technologies into their operations (Brous, Janssen, and Herder, 2020). It is true that by connecting more devices to some online servers and granting access to private companies to enter our lives as an individual, family, community and city, we might endanger the smooth functioning of the system in our search for efficiency and digitalization.
But why do we not consider the larger risks that we are going to face as a society such as surveillance by the government and private parties though the tools of IoT, the increasing power we grant to big corporations and the loss of choice in our everyday lives due to the commercialization of everything – from our house to our body and, ultimately, brain?
I do not see any impactful public resistance or protest against corporate greed and power of the likes of Musk and Bezos, do you?
References:
Brous, P., Janssen, M. and Herder, P., 2020. The dual effects of the Internet of Things (IoT): A systematic review of the benefits and risks of IoT adoption by organizations. International Journal of Information Management, 51.
Pew Research Center, 2017. Implications Of The Internet Of Things Connectivity Binge. [online] Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. Available at: <https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/06/06/the-internet-of-things-connectivity-binge-what-are-the-implications/> [Accessed 26 September 2020].
Zuboff, S., 2019. The Age Of Surveillance Capitalism. 1st ed. London: Profile Books Ltd, pp.197-231.
