What Is Surveillance Capitalism?

The term "Surveillance Capitalism" was coined by Shoshana Zuboff in her book, "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. " The book argues that the internet has allowed companies to collect extensive amounts of data about their users, which they then use to market products and services to those users. It's not just the marketing aspect that makes this practice insidious. The data these companies access can be used for all sorts of nefarious purposes, from identifying political protestors for detainment and arrest to manipulating elections through targeted ads (or worse). It's important to note that surveillance capitalism is not just something that happens on the internet. It happens offline, where people are constantly being tracked by their mobile phones and sometimes even by a device as simple as a shoelace! "Surveillance capitalism" is the idea that private data has value. It's an idea that's gaining steam with the emergence of artificial intelligence and machine learning platforms that take in large amounts of raw data and spit out insights for business. Companies now compete to get these insights by providing the raw data that the programs need through surveillance capitalism. In other words, companies are using information they gather from their customers to make money. Surveillance capitalism has been around since the 1950s but has recently been given its moniker. It refers to the use of surveillance technologies by businesses to generate profit through data collection practices while at the same time maintaining control over how much data is collected and how consumers use it. As a result, many people feel like their favorite brands are spying on them. However, some experts say this isn't necessarily bad for consumers. It just requires them to know how companies use their information and what kind of value they can expect in return.