The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power
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- Author：Shoshana Zuboff
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Summary
THE TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S TOP BOOKS OF THE YEAR
Shortlisted for the FT Business Book of the Year Award 2019
'Easily the most important book to be published this century。 I find it hard to take any young activist seriously who hasn't at least familarised themselves with Zuboff's central ideas。' - Zadie Smith， The Guardian
The challenges to humanity posed by the digital future， the first detailed examination of the unprecedented form of power called "surveillance capitalism，" and the quest by powerful corporations to predict and control us。
The heady optimism of the Internet's early days is gone。 Technologies that were meant to liberate us have deepened inequality and stoked divisions。 Tech companies gather our information online and sell it to the highest bidder， whether government or retailer。 Profits now depend not only on predicting our behaviour but modifying it too。 How will this fusion of capitalism and the digital shape our values and define our future？
Shoshana Zuboff shows that we are at a crossroads。 We still have the power to decide what kind of world we want to live in， and what we decide now will shape the rest of the century。 Our choices: allow technology to enrich the few and impoverish the many， or harness it and distribute its benefits。
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism is a deeply-reasoned examination of the threat of unprecedented power free from democratic oversight。 As it explores this new capitalism's impact on society， politics， business， and technology， it exposes the struggles that will decide both the next chapter of capitalism and the meaning of information civilization。 Most critically， it shows how we can protect ourselves and our communities and ensure we are the masters of the digital rather than its slaves。
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S TOP BOOKS OF THE YEAR
Shortlisted for the FT Business Book of the Year Award 2019
'Easily the most important book to be published this century。 I find it hard to take any young activist seriously who hasn't at least familarised themselves with Zuboff's central ideas。' - Zadie Smith， The Guardian
The challenges to humanity posed by the digital future， the first detailed examination of the unprecedented form of power called "surveillance capitalism，" and the quest by powerful corporations to predict and control us。
The heady optimism of the Internet's early days is gone。 Technologies that were meant to liberate us have deepened inequality and stoked divisions。 Tech companies gather our information online and sell it to the highest bidder， whether government or retailer。 Profits now depend not only on predicting our behaviour but modifying it too。 How will this fusion of capitalism and the digital shape our values and define our future？
Shoshana Zuboff shows that we are at a crossroads。 We still have the power to decide what kind of world we want to live in， and what we decide now will shape the rest of the century。 Our choices: allow technology to enrich the few and impoverish the many， or harness it and distribute its benefits。
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism is a deeply-reasoned examination of the threat of unprecedented power free from democratic oversight。 As it explores this new capitalism's impact on society， politics， business， and technology， it exposes the struggles that will decide both the next chapter of capitalism and the meaning of information civilization。 Most critically， it shows how we can protect ourselves and our communities and ensure we are the masters of the digital rather than its slaves。
Reviews
Jerry Wall
，
Goes into how a few digital companies are using our info to make money。 They merely watch what we do and say and how we say it to steer us to political views， merchandise purchases， or beliefs。With their massaging， reemphasize， juxtaposition， etc。 we are influenced and sometimes where we wind us is not where we wanted to be， though close or， even， where we have been lead to go。They accumulate vast domains of new knowledge from us， for not for us。 p。11"personalization，" a camouflage for aggressiv Goes into how a few digital companies are using our info to make money。 They merely watch what we do and say and how we say it to steer us to political views， merchandise purchases， or beliefs。With their massaging， reemphasize， juxtaposition， etc。 we are influenced and sometimes where we wind us is not where we wanted to be， though close or， even， where we have been lead to go。They accumulate vast domains of new knowledge from us， for not for us。 p。11"personalization，" a camouflage for aggressive extraction operations that mine the intimate depths of everyday life。 p。 19As a result， surveillance capitalism is best described as a coup from above， not an overthrow of the state but rather an overthrow of the people's sovereignty and a prominent force in the perilous drift toward democratic deconsolidation that。 now threatens Western liberal democracies。 p。 21。 。 。 new logic of accumulation [by] Apple， Google， Amazon， Microsoft and Facebook。 p。 22。 。 。 Piketty 。 。 。 the rate of return on capital tends to exceed the rate of economic growth。 * * * 。 。 。 158 U。 S。 families and their corporations provided almost half （$176 million ） of all the money that was raised by both political parties in support presidential candidates in 2016， primarily in support of "Republican candidates who have pledged to pare regulations， cut taxes 。 。 。 and shrink entitlements。" p。。 43。 。 。 it is inaccurate to think of Google's users as its customers: there is no economic exchange， no price， and no profit。 * * * 。 。 。 user is the product。 This is also misleading。 。 。 。 p。 69 --。 。 。 we are merely the sources of raw material supply。 p。 70。 。 。 user profile information。 p。 78Even when knowledge derived from our behavior is fed back to us as a quid pro quo for participation， as in the case of so-called "personalization，" parallel secret operations pursue the conversion of surplus into sales that point far beyond our interests。 * * * 。 。 。 we are exiles from our own behavior。 。 。 。p。 100Both Brin and Page are even more candid in their contempt for law and regulation。 p。 105U。 S。 Supreme Court's rejection of any constraints on the role of money in election campaigns。 p。 109 ！！！！！！{after] September 11， 2001 。 。 。 [there was change from] security rather than privacy。 p。 113[ goal to] "predict future behavior。 p。 1184 stage cycle to use data from digital Incursion habituation Adaptation & redirection p。 138 et seq。 Google six declarations relating to what it has determined it can do with dateClaim human experience as raw material free for the taking。 and five more p。 178Question: Are we all going to be working for a smart machine， or will we have smart people around the machine？ p。 179！！！！！！！！Three essential questions --= who knows？ Who decides？ and who decides who decides？ p。 180[currently] both the world and our lives are pervasively rendered as information。 ，p。 182Again: the world's capacity to produce information has substantially exceeded its ability to process and store information。 p。 186[we have now ] translated 98 percent of the world's information into a digital format。 p。 187。 。 。 our right to the future tense， which is our right to act free of the influence of illegimate forces that operate outside our awareness to influence， modify， and condition our behavior。 p。 194**** The most profound technologies are those that disappear 。 They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it。 p。 198 ***** 。。。more
Ayesha
，
Super aggressive and takes a super CLEAR anti-Big Tech stance， but everything was framed correctly and it was so interesting to read。 I see why people call Zuboff the Karl Marx of our time bc ooooooof。 You do need some background knowledge of pretty much all of the concepts in the book， which I did not have， and you really need to be prepared to sit down and go through all 10 million pages。 Long， but it was entertaining AND informative
Henry Beckett
，
Everybody groans at many of the clichés that surround digital technology and social media: that its users are addicts， that "if it's free to use， you're the product"， etc。 These statements accurately describe a feature of modern life but give no explanation of it。 This book is the explanation。 Throughout the book， Shoshana Zuboff tackles a number of questions that I， as a user of modern technology， have been curious about in the past。 To name a few:1。 Why is the web such a mess？ Why does every w Everybody groans at many of the clichés that surround digital technology and social media: that its users are addicts， that "if it's free to use， you're the product"， etc。 These statements accurately describe a feature of modern life but give no explanation of it。 This book is the explanation。 Throughout the book， Shoshana Zuboff tackles a number of questions that I， as a user of modern technology， have been curious about in the past。 To name a few:1。 Why is the web such a mess？ Why does every website ask you to accept cookies， and why is it so difficult to opt out of the experience？1（a）。 Ok， the token answer to this question is "to gain analytic data" on me as a user of the site， or "to optimise advertising experiences"。 But why would a website - especially one as banal as a government advice page or the FAQ section on the website for a chocolate biscuit company - need to know any information about me？ What use is it to them？2。 What is the point of Google Street View？ I mean， it's a cool gimmick and creates the universe for fun games like Geoguessr， and it could potentially be useful for navigating new places （although I've never used it for that）， but mapping the world's streets seems like such an onerous task that the payoff seems hardly worth it。3。 Why is there so much wearable tech nowadays？ Products like the Apple Watch offer very little in functionality （they don't even work without a bluetooth connection to an iPhone） that they hardly seem to justify their pricetag。 4。 Sometimes， digitisation of products and services comes as little or no benefit to the end user。 Uber is the canonical example for me: is it really that much harder to call a taxi company and tell them your address over the phone rather than go to an app， select your address on a map and pay using a credit card？ Especially since Uber has become embroiled in so much legal debate about underpaying and otherwise mistreating its workers。 A young generation which seems to be increasingly focused on ethics and fairness would surely be at odds with this dynamic， and make the fairly painless switch back to taxi companies。 But why don't they？Questions like these make more sense， Zuboff argues， in the framework of Surveillance Capitalism: capitalism which uses behavioural data gathered using technology and analysed using machine intelligence to come to meaningful insights for corporations。 She is quick to make the distinction between technology simply as it exists to meet human needs （say GPS and GIS systems） and a company harnessing that technology to provide a service in order to make a profit from users' 'digital exhaust' （Google Maps）。 By laying the framework for companies that aim to profit from information provided by their users， Zuboff is able to effectively describe where the above questions come from。 They're all symptoms of the underlying problem of surveillance capitalism。 For this reason， this book is necessary。 It describes the increasing encroachment of surveillance capitalist technologies into every facet of our lives， why we should be skeptical about the oftentimes banal marketing copy of CEOs of large tech companies when they talk about "digital natives" or "technology that just works" since they're often hiding something more sinister behind the scenes。 And it forces the reader to confront a simple fact， one that they already know but seem to acknowledge less and less （I wonder if people younger than me question it at all）， namely that companies gather your data for their own purposes and you don't have access to the reasons why they do it， how it's being used， or what conclusions are drawn from it。 In a world that's increasingly data-driven， where government systems are beginning to use AI and character-based credit scores， it makes sense for us to ask ourselves whether we want to live in a world that's controlled by forces outside our knowledge， and that information （we don't know what） is used （we don't know how） for unknown purposes on a daily basis， more and more。There were a few arguments in this book that struck me either as not particularly compelling or at the very least a not particularly helpful way of understanding the issues presented （in particular， the information about B。F。 Skinner and his future of a behaviourally-modified world made sense to me in the original context of surveillance capitalism's drive to influence people's online presence for profit， but it seemed awkward to limit human understanding to what can be understood from behavioural science， especially in the context of Hannah Arendt's analysis of totalitarianism） but these minor issues only really stand out because the vast majority of this book is so captivating。 The material may be dark and unpleasant to confront， but the first step to solving a problem is naming it， and I think "Surveillance Capitalism" is pretty apt。 。。。more
Daniel
，
What a book！ Shoshana sets the pace in this book akin to classics such as George Orwell's 1984。 However， unlike 1984， Shoshana explains what is inexplicable and offers new vocabulary where none exists。 At the onset of the internet， issues raised in this book were at the forefront of social discourse。 However， as technology filtered into our everyday life， we soon adapted and took the enabling nature of big tech for granted。 We didn't care what we gave up in return for the improved services and a What a book！ Shoshana sets the pace in this book akin to classics such as George Orwell's 1984。 However， unlike 1984， Shoshana explains what is inexplicable and offers new vocabulary where none exists。 At the onset of the internet， issues raised in this book were at the forefront of social discourse。 However， as technology filtered into our everyday life， we soon adapted and took the enabling nature of big tech for granted。 We didn't care what we gave up in return for the improved services and accurate predictions that big tech offers。 Any serious discussion about what we give up gets quickly dismissed as being alarmist。 But it's not， as Shoshana argues。 While some reviews decry the book's repetitiveness and verbosity， I found both necessary to explain new concepts and make them stick。 For instance， Shoshana dispels the popular belief in freemium tech products， if you aren't paying for it， you are the product。 She notes that you are not the product。 My favourite analogy is that we are the elephant left behind after the poachers have ripped off its tusks。 The product is the tusks， not the elephant。 In this case， the product is what Shoshana calls our 'behavioural surplus' that helps big tech get ever more precise in knowing what we'll do now， soon or later。 The troubling question Shoshana asks is， if we let big tech win， then society will cede control of who knows， who decides and who decides who decides。 。。。more
rosalind
，
this is too liberal for me to listen to another 23 hours of it
Elaine
，
I really wanted to like this more than I did。 The core ideas of the book are incredibly interesting and for those alone I would definitely recommend it to other people however as a book itself？ Not so greatThe book is about 700 pages and about half of it could easily have been removed for a much more concise and hard hitting book。 The authors writing style is verbose， hyperbolic and creates umpteen terms of art which could have used a glossary at the back。 The author also repeats several concept I really wanted to like this more than I did。 The core ideas of the book are incredibly interesting and for those alone I would definitely recommend it to other people however as a book itself？ Not so greatThe book is about 700 pages and about half of it could easily have been removed for a much more concise and hard hitting book。 The authors writing style is verbose， hyperbolic and creates umpteen terms of art which could have used a glossary at the back。 The author also repeats several concepts and even examples not once， but two or three times。 The book also fails to provide many actual examples of the terrible things tech firms are actually doing， which is a shame because they definitely exist。 Instead all we get is repeated discussion of Pokemon Go and self driving cars turning themselves off。 It's a shame because it makes the issues that the book deal with feel exaggerated and overblown， when in practice I'm sure they're not。I would probably recommend that anyone interested in Zuboffs ideas watch some of her talks and interviews instead， which I felt were much more concise and effectively expressed。 。。。more
Lisbeth Vandoorne
，
4 sterren voor de inhoud， 3 omdat het half zo dik beter gewerkt had
Prateek
，
This is a long comment and not a review。Main argument - An assault on our freedom and privacyShoshana’s argument， if it can be summarised in a few words， is like the industrial capitalism dominated and exploited nature and left it a wreck， similarly the rise of surveillance （digital） capitalism portends to dominate and exploit human nature， ultimately controlling and automating it。Surveillance capitalism signals a rise of kind of instrumentarian power which she compares to the rise of totalitari This is a long comment and not a review。Main argument - An assault on our freedom and privacyShoshana’s argument， if it can be summarised in a few words， is like the industrial capitalism dominated and exploited nature and left it a wreck， similarly the rise of surveillance （digital） capitalism portends to dominate and exploit human nature， ultimately controlling and automating it。Surveillance capitalism signals a rise of kind of instrumentarian power which she compares to the rise of totalitarianism in the 20th century。 This power portends of total certainty in our interactions with market and society and hence will cost us our freedom。 All power yearns towards totality and the leading surveillance capitalists of the day Google， Facebook， Microsoft and Amazon do not shy in stating their goals of world dominance; a kind of inevitability which renders everything that we have hitherto envisioned and cherish pale before it。 This viewpoint is expounded by professor Alex Pentland of MIT in his argument that for a better society we must abandon illusions of human free-will and dignity。Moreover， the real horror is when the capitalist and the State join hands to monitor the citizens。 This is done in the free world today in the name of - war on terror or for local law enforcement。 What the system can be made to do is exemplified in what China set out to do in linking the credit worthiness of its citizens to points scored based on activities on digital platforms。 This system rewards one if they have influential friends， pay their debts regularly， follow a predefined and other-imposed notion of a “good” citizen etc。 Though easy to implement in China because of its lax norms on privacy， how far the surveillance capitalist can be used by governments in the free world remains to be seen。CriticismA criticism of Shoshana’s argument is that we engage in digital capitalism of our own will。 The service providers are free to choose and provide a service and everyone knows that it is ultimately done for profit。 Similarly we are free to choose whether to use digital capitalism’s resources and services。 Though with the ubiquity of such a form of market， the individual more often than not is helpless and gives in soon to search that piece of information or to share that moment with their friends to garner a sense of social relevance。In light of this the only credible defence we have against this form of exploitation is knowledge of ourselves and of the nature of the digital market - to rein in our whims and wishes and use all our rational faculties to deal with it。 Most of the people are ill equipped to deal with the situation as such and it is the responsibility of our public institutions to ensure that the individual is prepared or learned for this form of invasion of their personal space。The answer is not to let the internet dominate us but to dominate the internet on our own terms。 This seems like wishful thinking now but is the only solution that guarantees at the same time under regulated capitalism and individual freedom and dignity。 It is like language which in most ways is the horizon of our understanding and it requires stupendous effort to get on the other side of language and make it a tool for our being and purpose。 So we must understand the internet to be。Criticism of the criticismA possible criticism to the criticism is that the service providers over internet poach all of the great talent that our universities generate and use them to run this profit hungry behemoth and so isn’t what I'm saying pits the well educated amongst us against the ill prepared and ignorant masses。 This is a question I have been asking myself since the start of my college days when the reality of power and ignorance first hit me and I have no good answers still。The only modicum of a solution is what has been suggested by many to have strong public institutions designed to protect the interests of the masses rather than to ensure that the machinery of capitalism is well oiled。 This is a gigantic task and it is high time that the conscience of the best of us acknowledges it as such。Indeed， in conclusion， the Harvard professor pins all her hopes on democracy and tries to instill in us a consciousness of saying - ‘No more’。 She argues that like there were many reasons which led to the collapse of Berlin Wall but the most important factor was the will of the people of East Berlin to no longer pay heed to oppressive power， similarly it is the collective consciousness of us （channelised by democratic institutions） which can rein in this new found power of digital capitalist。Shoshana Zuboff's deeply researched and well thought out analysis is a critical step in this direction and I am grateful that the same services she vehemently criticised in the book led me to it。 。。。more
Jake
，
This book is a complete， well researched， interdisciplinary account of modern sociey as envisioned by venture capital and tech companies。 Zuboff draws a holistic diagram of the multifaceted deveopments of what she calls Surveillance Capitalism - a cateogorically new form of capitalist organization that dramatically envelops previous forms much as mutant coronaviruses crowd out less viral strains。 A few examples of the vast ground Zuboff covers。。- In the historical context， Zuboff situates this d This book is a complete， well researched， interdisciplinary account of modern sociey as envisioned by venture capital and tech companies。 Zuboff draws a holistic diagram of the multifaceted deveopments of what she calls Surveillance Capitalism - a cateogorically new form of capitalist organization that dramatically envelops previous forms much as mutant coronaviruses crowd out less viral strains。 A few examples of the vast ground Zuboff covers。。- In the historical context， Zuboff situates this development as a successor to industrial capitalism as practiced and neoliberalism as theorized。 Where industrial capitalism sought to control nature for the benefit of humanity （or， as many would argue， for capital - with it's catastrophic consequences being seen everywhere today）， Surveillance Capitalism （SC） seeks to control human nature。 Where neoliberalism theorized that only the decentralized information processing and resource allocation of unfettered markets （as opposed to communist， totalitarian， and more recently liberal democratic governments） could ensure the freedom of humanity， SC seeks to centralize information processing & knowledge in order to obtain total control over humanity itself。 - While not directly citing existing critical analysis like Foucauldian Sisciplinary & Biopower or Delueze's Societies of Control， she pulls together a compelling view of what SC as an innovation of power and control over humanity which she terms instrumentarian power。 - Echoing many of pop-neuroscience accounts of social media's impact on our brain （dopamine loops， addicition， the otherization of our social relations， social comparision， etc。）， Zuboff goes deep into the history of Behavioralism to show the therotical underpinnings （and implications） of technolgical design on our subjective experience drawing stark implications for freedom。 - Anticipating much of the political conflict over tech today， Zuboff lays out poly sci account of the relationship between Public Relations， government， and big tech。 Both the tensions as well as the many shared interests that have shaped the behavior and development of these technologies as companies seek to dramatically expand their control over civil society without drawing oversite。I could go on - but just to illustrate， Zuboff picks up all of the major threads that have been studied on SC so far and brings them together in a single yarn。 While many authors go deeper on each topic， Zuboff masterfully combines them into a single narrative that challenges the legitimacy of SC advancements & argues against the cowardice of argumentes claiming inevitability。 Zuboff sets the stakes previously scattered across the disciplines -- with the aim to motivate a new generation to understand and resist with a solid grounding。She leaves us with a fantastic quote from Thomas Paine in the last chapter that sums up the stakes & her call to action: "The rights of men in society， are neither devisable or transferable， nor annihilable， but are descendable only， and it is not in the power of any generation to intercept finally， and cut off the descent。 If the present generation， or any other， are disposed to be slaves， it does not lessen the right of the succeeding generation to be free。 Wrongs cannot have a legal descent。" 。。。more
Felix Dörpmund
，
Shoshana Zuboff elevates the discussion on omnipresent internet companies to a whole new level， enriching the discussion with concepts and comparison drawn from political theory， economics， psychology and history。 For her book she has interviewed numerous high-profile engineers from internet companies and combed through piles of cases of questionable practice。 I wholeheartedly appreciate the scope of this book。 She does not merely give an introduction to the topic and sheds light on some problem Shoshana Zuboff elevates the discussion on omnipresent internet companies to a whole new level， enriching the discussion with concepts and comparison drawn from political theory， economics， psychology and history。 For her book she has interviewed numerous high-profile engineers from internet companies and combed through piles of cases of questionable practice。 I wholeheartedly appreciate the scope of this book。 She does not merely give an introduction to the topic and sheds light on some problems but builds an entire framework on surveillance capitalism。 While this is at times difficult to grasp， it also gives the reader a more holistic reference that helps in the dissection of this industry and it's practises。 These new terms are created by drawing parallels with other streams of research throughout the ages。 Noticeably， a ton of work has gone into giving her readers this framework to more effectively talk about the topic， grasp it's implications and take ownership over their own data-related affairs。 At the same time， this makes it a very difficult read that can be compared to the likes to Picketty's Capital in the 21st Century or any other grand scale economic theory works。 I appreciate the sections on how surveillance capitalism came to be， the connection of the industry to governmental surveillance programs， the reframing of the user as raw materials to be extracted， actuation of the ultimate goal of those companies， the notion of social physics， home and technology addiction。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Linke Ding
，
As a hound adult， this book has certainly reshaped how I perceive the world around me and how I perceive the FANNG companies and the work that they do。 I think everyone who wants to have a glimpse on some of the social issues that’s are facing should have a read of this book。 Although it should go without saying that there are certain concepts in this book， such as AI， neoliberalism etc require some background knowledge that may not be so easily established。
Elissa Newton
，
One of the most important books of our time。
Tiago Massoni
，
Brilliant ideas but repeated over and over。 I’m exhausted。
Bob
，
Summary: An extended treatise on the idea of surveillance capitalism， in which we are the “raw materials” for others economic gain and the object of instrumentarian control。I heard about this book from an interview with the author。 I wish I had been forewarned that the soundbite argument of a radio interview was a bloated treatise laden with abstraction， jargon， and a determination to “show all one’s work。” A much shorter work may have been more effective in making its point。There are two major Summary: An extended treatise on the idea of surveillance capitalism， in which we are the “raw materials” for others economic gain and the object of instrumentarian control。I heard about this book from an interview with the author。 I wish I had been forewarned that the soundbite argument of a radio interview was a bloated treatise laden with abstraction， jargon， and a determination to “show all one’s work。” A much shorter work may have been more effective in making its point。There are two major ideas in this book。 One is that a new form of capitalism has arisen as companies like Google and Facebook have figured out how to monetize their platforms through the information that users willingly and sometimes unwittingly surrender that are used to generate the advertising revenues that really fund their enterprises。 We are not the customer， we are the raw material， and these platforms have become increasingly skilled at “scraping” data from every aspect of our lives that may be monetized。 Our posts， our likes， our searches， and via our smartphones， our locations， and all our app use are sources。 So are the devices wired into our cars and our homes， and eventually， even into our clothes。 All of this data is “behavioral surplus” about us enabling various entities to market to us and， less benignly， manipulate our perceptions and behavior。This leads to the second and perhaps more sinister idea that the entities controlling these platforms are seeking to establish instrumentarian， not totalitarian control of society， working toward the idea of a “frictionless” hive mind， controlled by “Big Other。” The aim is total certainty in the control exercised and guaranteed outcomes to marketing efforts。 Platforms own the means of behavioral modification， the use of which is concealed。 Zuboff’s description of these efforts reminded me of Dave Eggers’ dystopian novel The Circle， a world in whose ideal is that nothing be hidden， nothing secret， and all transparent。 For Zuboff， the greatest problem these platforms face is “friction，” in which individuals do not surrender privacy or information。One idea introduced toward the end of the book is that of “equivalence。” Anything that produces more traffic， more engagement， and information is good。 It struck me that this was the flaw in the supposed dream of a “hive mind。” This was amply on display in recent elections and efforts at social disruption。 Platforms do have the ability to control these but tend to refrain， even though these promote conflicting rather than harmonious interests。 My hunch is that capitalism is of greater interest than control and that these platforms are relatively indifferent to content as long as it is profitable。The bigger problem I have is that this book is long on assertion and short on data or practical recommendations。 The most she can offer is “be the friction。” I do believe she offers legitimate warnings about how unwittingly we yield up all kinds of information about ourselves。 She doesn’t explore the networking of platforms， and how everything from what we buy at the grocery store to our credit records to our health records， the layout of our homes and our travel histories can be compiled。 I’m not convinced that “Big Other” is the greater danger than “Big Brother。” What I do believe is that Zuboff raises a necessary warning that our democratic freedoms， including some measure of self-determination， may be lost。 It may even be that they are not taken from us so much as willingly surrendered。 。。。more
Danial
，
Dry， Stuffy， Unreadable。 Worse than a high school textbook。 DNF
Felipe
，
Una lectura imprescindible para entender la sumisión a la que las empresas tecnológicas nos tienen sometidos。
Mark Hamilton
，
Scary
Filipe
，
If Shoshana Zuboff had solely written Part I of this book， where she examines the history and tactics of surveillance capitalists， it would be rightfully celebrated。 Zuboff points out how neoliberalism enshrined the deregulation and globalization that allowed for companies like Google and Facebook to flourish and begin to operate in a lawless space， similar to robber barons of the 19th century。 She examines their playbook of incursion， habituation， adaptation， and redirection， offering examples If Shoshana Zuboff had solely written Part I of this book， where she examines the history and tactics of surveillance capitalists， it would be rightfully celebrated。 Zuboff points out how neoliberalism enshrined the deregulation and globalization that allowed for companies like Google and Facebook to flourish and begin to operate in a lawless space， similar to robber barons of the 19th century。 She examines their playbook of incursion， habituation， adaptation， and redirection， offering examples of how they continue to expand into antidemocratic areas while keeping criticism and consequences at bay。 Part of their growth is linked to the surveillance capabilities that they could provide the US government， especially in the wake of 9/11， passage of the USA PATRIOT Act， and enablement through the Obama administration。 It is eye-opening to see these cycles explicitly laid out; even as we all bear witness to these events in the real world， a book like this allows us to stop and reflect on it。 It is Part II and III where the book falls apart， particularly when Zuboff attempts to wax philosophical and sociological commentary into the examination of what our modern society has lost。 It is not that she does not raise some pressing and relevant questions but more so， that she appears to lack a coherence in her arguments。 When her commentary is of interest， it is often because she is quoting others such as Jean-Paul Sartre， Hannah Arendt， and Thomas Piketty。 Zuboff appears to be an ardent capitalist where her criticisms are not based on the nature of the marketplace and private organizations， but specific to tech companies and the surveillance activities they pursue。 She points to double movements and reciprocity capitalism during the industrial age as how capitalism benefited society; claiming that it was neoliberalism that began the shift away from this ideal state。 It’s not entirely a rose-coloured glasses view of the past: the book comments on how the Industrial Age led to our current climate crisis， while acknowledging how labour movements were necessary to build many of the benefits that workers received; but her ultimate belief is in a humanistic capitalism。 Nowhere is this more apparent when she tells the story of a debt collector who is asked to go after an elderly couple， whereupon meeting them and understanding their dire straits， attempts to pay the debt himself。 Zuboff casts this anecdote as a heartwarming tale of what capitalism should be and that this is what surveillance capitalism could take away from us。 Never mind that this is the story of one kind debt collector and that the financial industry performs actions like this every day， her issue appears to be specifically with these new kind of surveillance capitalists; anger that this new industry does not play by her rules。As such， there is little mention of the factors outside of the thesis “why surveillance capitalism （and only surveillance capitalism） is bad”。 Zuboff correctly points out how these companies were able to thrive in a post 9/11 world， but barely examines how government and law enforcement enjoy leveraging these spying capabilities。 There are references to the unprecedented nature of what we are facing， but also frequent comparisons to colonization， totalitarianism， and behaviourism; somehow， it is both unprecedented and precedented。 The comparisons do offer some interesting perspective by trying to engage in the philosophical ideas of democracy， free-will， and self， but the thread is often lost in overly prosaic， repetitive sentences。This lack of coherency is evident by the end of this book when you see that she appears to have no real solution。 She comments that antitrust and privacy regulations are not enough to stop these companies; that only some kind of existential threat will stop them。 This makes me wonder: is her vision one where we eliminate these companies altogether？ I’m led to believe yes， since she offers no alternatives to what a technologically advanced world without surveillance capitalism looks like。 While I can agree that much of what takes place is nefarious and nebulous， we have come to the point where it is entwined in people’s lives。 The unintended consequence is that the main people affected by lack of these companies would be the poor， who would be unable to access services that are only available to those with money。 It becomes ironic that Zuboff would have us individually cast off these surveillance companies， because she unintentionally attempts to solve this problem through a neoliberal lens。 。。。more
Jake DeRobertis
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Shoshana Zuboff paints a disconcerting picture in this novel， one filled with assumptions of human free will on the behalf of corporations， corrupt politicians that willingly work with information thiefs， and the underlying surveillance tactics disguised as harmless games， applications， links， and more。 Zuboff illuminates the necessity for humans to work together to combat this new form of technocratic authoritarianism， and brilliantly exposes the areas of everyday life surveillance capitalism h Shoshana Zuboff paints a disconcerting picture in this novel， one filled with assumptions of human free will on the behalf of corporations， corrupt politicians that willingly work with information thiefs， and the underlying surveillance tactics disguised as harmless games， applications， links， and more。 Zuboff illuminates the necessity for humans to work together to combat this new form of technocratic authoritarianism， and brilliantly exposes the areas of everyday life surveillance capitalism has infected。 The ubiquitous computing and extraction of behavioral data only seems to head us down a path of complete reliance and complacency， a future that is grave for anyone who values their sense of self， their free will， and their right to the future tense。 Anyone interested in learning how these multi-national corporations invade our personal space， and how a new breed of capitalism is seizing the means of behavioral modification， should read this book and hold it as the gold standard of reporting on such。This book is a little repetitive， and can find itself restating theses multiple times， but in order to drive home an urgent point。 It took me a couple of weeks to complete， but I am certainly happy I did。 。。。more
Ben
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Very well researched and structured book which I believe will be built upon and used as a reference point going forward。 Highly recommend to provide context for how technology companies have influenced the economy and society so far to this point and how we can start to react and truly understand potential impacts of this。 It does feel to have been written in a way that is purposely accessible whilst ensuring nothing is sacrificed as a result compared to other books around this subject which can Very well researched and structured book which I believe will be built upon and used as a reference point going forward。 Highly recommend to provide context for how technology companies have influenced the economy and society so far to this point and how we can start to react and truly understand potential impacts of this。 It does feel to have been written in a way that is purposely accessible whilst ensuring nothing is sacrificed as a result compared to other books around this subject which can fall short here。 Main criticism would be how Zuboff can sometimes exaggerate a point further than evidence allows however this does feels like a natural response to the often dire situation that is represented。 。。。more
Canwen
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I purposefully stopped reading at around page 300。 This book is well-researched， illuminating， and contains impactful information， but I just couldn’t stand the author’s rambling prose and the way every anecdote had to be framed as an intrusion of individuals’ privacy in the most melodramatic way possible。 I personally was less interested in the dramatization of surveillance capitalism and more interested in the fact-based analysis and anecdotes， which there is still plenty of！ But it’s wrapped I purposefully stopped reading at around page 300。 This book is well-researched， illuminating， and contains impactful information， but I just couldn’t stand the author’s rambling prose and the way every anecdote had to be framed as an intrusion of individuals’ privacy in the most melodramatic way possible。 I personally was less interested in the dramatization of surveillance capitalism and more interested in the fact-based analysis and anecdotes， which there is still plenty of！ But it’s wrapped in so many long， semi-philosophical sentences about the “will to will”， etc。 At a certain point she describes a man constantly having to turn away kids at the door who try to catch a Pokémon in his backyard through Pokémon Go and frames it as some irreparable， unforgivable trespass of his freedom。If you would like your nonfiction to be as much “literary” as informational， then maybe you would like this。 If lots of academic jargon bothers you， read the cliffnotes instead。 。。。more
Heather
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In a very dark book， this scholar makes the case for being aware of how modern tech not only mines data about all of us， but also decides what we see and sometimes how our homes and cars operate。 It is mostly a work of warning， but also prompts readers to use their knowledge to change a potentially very distressing future。
Jay Kistler
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While I won’t call this an easy or particularly enthralling read （doubly so for the audio version， though it has a voice actor who I assume didn’t mean to sound like Siri or Alexa）， it is invaluable in it’s research and musings on our world。 Granted， you could be both a huge fan of big tech’s inner workings and BF Skinner， I don’t know you personally。My main takeaway from it is somewhat envious of my friends who are not terminally online and writing 1000+ word Goodreads reviews。 I remember a tim While I won’t call this an easy or particularly enthralling read （doubly so for the audio version， though it has a voice actor who I assume didn’t mean to sound like Siri or Alexa）， it is invaluable in it’s research and musings on our world。 Granted， you could be both a huge fan of big tech’s inner workings and BF Skinner， I don’t know you personally。My main takeaway from it is somewhat envious of my friends who are not terminally online and writing 1000+ word Goodreads reviews。 I remember a time when I slept better， and it was， probably not surprisingly， when I didn’t have a smartphone （any time before 2015？）。 While I’m in the loop with what’s going on in the world and am even up-to-date with minute details of my online friends’ lives， I’m no more happier for it， and I’m left predictable by what the author has named “Big Other”。 Clever。。。anyway， I keep saying I’m going to get off of Facebook entirely someday， but then the next thing I look at after I write this will probably be that or Instagram or Twitter or Discord or Gmail。 All of which have me pegged and primed for advertising。 I’ll probably see a legitimate news article right beside a completely fabricated one as well， both of which are given the same legitimacy。 In all， I think I need to get offline more。 It might behoove all of us to not be so reliant as we’re left so vulnerable that our friggin DEMOCRACY is at stake。 Uff。 。。。more
ezra
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-i repeat things in this book to sound smart-literally helped me understand Facebook/Google waaaaay more and how evil they are-makes me want to get off the grid-sometimes zuboff speaks about western society as if it's ALL society and ignores concepts of the individual from other traditions， which would be fine if she just said she was focusing on western philosophy and history -i repeat things in this book to sound smart-literally helped me understand Facebook/Google waaaaay more and how evil they are-makes me want to get off the grid-sometimes zuboff speaks about western society as if it's ALL society and ignores concepts of the individual from other traditions， which would be fine if she just said she was focusing on western philosophy and history 。。。more
Cristina Darabut
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Too much drama and little to no focus on solutions， next steps， alternatives。 All big tech companies are bad: the Hitlers and Stalins of 21st century。 Despite the author's deep， well documented research， I tend to question the black and white style。 Even Wylie， after being a drama king and victimizing himself， managed to pull his ideas togheter and scramble some recommendations for the ethical use of data gathered nowadays。 Too much drama and little to no focus on solutions， next steps， alternatives。 All big tech companies are bad: the Hitlers and Stalins of 21st century。 Despite the author's deep， well documented research， I tend to question the black and white style。 Even Wylie， after being a drama king and victimizing himself， managed to pull his ideas togheter and scramble some recommendations for the ethical use of data gathered nowadays。 。。。more
Peter Håkansson
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A book that everyone should read， it's quite scary how powerful the big tech companies have become and what the future holds for us。 A book that everyone should read， it's quite scary how powerful the big tech companies have become and what the future holds for us。 。。。more
Shahbakht
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Incredibly important subject matter， and very well researched; should be must reading for everyone， as digital literacy is going to be essential going forwards， if it isn't already。 Equips you with the necessary history， context， current status quo and expected future of digital surveillance。 However， definitely overstays its welcome due to its 600+ page length， and is not helped by the fact that the prose is very dense。 This book is not meant for light reading at all。 It mixes its non-fiction n Incredibly important subject matter， and very well researched; should be must reading for everyone， as digital literacy is going to be essential going forwards， if it isn't already。 Equips you with the necessary history， context， current status quo and expected future of digital surveillance。 However， definitely overstays its welcome due to its 600+ page length， and is not helped by the fact that the prose is very dense。 This book is not meant for light reading at all。 It mixes its non-fiction narrative of digital surveillance history with some heady philosophical and sociological themes and context， and it can get a bit indulgent at times （I kept wondering if editing this book down a couple of hundred pages might have helped）。 。。。more
Prem_gem
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Well researched and well written。。 But too much hyperbole。
Otto
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https://fipsfoto。wordpress。com/2021/0。。。 https://fipsfoto。wordpress。com/2021/0。。。 。。。more
EMMANUEL
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