The biggest difficulty of explaining privacy in the digital age is that effects of surveillance capitalism’s intrusion and manipulation are diffuse and widespread. People think they’re immune to the harms of being watched and judged remotely, until it’s too late.

Humans like simple stories with easily-spotted proximate causes and simple hero/villain narratives, but the digital ecosystem is mind-bogglingly complex and harms arise in second/third-order effects.

Impacts are difficult to perceive in micro; by the time they come to light, it because large numbers of people have been harmed. Usually the most marginalised and disadvantaged in society are impacted first/worst; but who cares what happens to them, right?

If you care about other people, you should care about privacy. You’re only protected from harm as long as other people care about YOU. Why should they; if it isn’t reciprocated?

Privacy is herd immunity against authoritarianism. When privacy is degraded, the end result is *always* atrocities. Not right away, not the only outcome, not solely as a result of lack of privacy, but there are strong correlations. Because people will be people.

When you profess not to care about privacy, what you’re really saying is that you don’t care about other people. Congratulations on your privilege, but that’s not how society works. You only have clean water, medicine, school, because other people cared about you.

Make the effort, because somewhere out there, you want someone to be making that same effort for you.

The threat from surveillance capitalism is similar to the threat from climate change - there isn’t one single Bad Guy cackling and pulling a lever marked “Mass Destruction”, it’s an emergent effect from lots of people doing lots of things that benefit them in the moment

No single individual can fix it on their own - but the more people who do step up and pay attention, make sacrifices, consider the welfare of others; the more likely that threat can be diverted from becoming catastrophe

Oh who am I kidding, if humanity actually manages to survive its own technological prowess, it’ll be down to sheer luck and in spite of our own actions.

People will be people.