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The biggest difficulty of explaining privacy in the digital age is that effects of surveillance capitalismâs intrusion and manipulation are diffuse and widespread. People think theyâre immune to the harms of being watched and judged remotely, until itâs 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. Youâre only protected from harm as long as other people care about YOU. Why should they; if it isnât 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 youâre really saying is that you donât care about other people. Congratulations on your privilege, but thatâs 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 isnât one single Bad Guy
cackling and pulling a lever marked âMass Destructionâ, itâs an emergent effect from lots of people doing lots of things that benefit them in the moment
cackling and pulling a lever marked âMass Destructionâ, itâs 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, itâll be down to sheer luck and in spite of our own actions.
People will be people.
People will be people.
