SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM

Manilka Ediriweera elaborates on how our digital presence is monetised

Do you get an eerie feeling that your smartphone or other smart devices are listening to your conversations? Perhaps you mentioned a product in passing and suddenly, targeted items for the same product pop up.

It’s like stepping into the sci-fi world that we once thought was confined to the realm of fiction. But technological advancements have thrust us into a reality that closely mirrors it.

Still sceptical?

Consider your trusty smartphone as an example.

It’s become so essential that leaving home without it feels like losing a limb. From communicating and connecting with others, to tracking fitness goals, managing finances and responding to work emails on the go, it has become an integral part of our lives.

However, the smartphone comes with a catch. Amid the benefits it offers, it also doubles as a powerful surveillance tool that can track our location and monitor online activity.

Since our smartphones, smart devices and service providers have the power to accumulate much of our data, we’re transported into the realm of surveillance capitalism where our digital presence is commoditised.

The term ‘surveillance capitalism’ was introduced by Prof. Shoshana Zuboff, in her book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. She says it represents a “new economic order” and “an expropriation of critical human rights that is best understood as a coup from above.”

It’s essentially about how tech giants demand, collect and store our information. And the end goal is not merely about predicting our behaviour but actively influencing and modifying it.

Under this new economic order, our private experiences become free raw material that translates into behavioural data. And at its core, surveillance capitalism is also about monetising personal data.

Zuboff sounds the alarm, and alerts us to the disastrous consequences for democracy and freedom. Despite this however, we often appear unfazed and display minimal resistance.

For the past 20 years, surveillance capitalism has remained largely unchallenged due to the digital revolution. But little did we know that we were turning into commodities for surveillance capitalists.

There’s no doubt that the digital age has ushered in tremendous benefits for society. It has revolutionised law enforcement, traditional commerce and more, and made life easier for us in various ways while promising even more convenience in the years ahead.

However, it’s also important to acknowledge the real risks that come with surveillance capitalism – they are multi­faceted with the costs mostly outweighing the benefits.

There’s a lack of privacy and autonomy as personal data is gathered continuously, and individuals are constantly subjected to the ever watchful digital eye. Consumer behaviour is manipulated through personalised advertisements.

Personal experiences are commodified and traded in the surveillance capitalism marketplace. There’s also the creation of extensive digital profiles, which will also be commodified. Scrutiny as a routine aspect of daily life becomes normalised and this can be detrimental to people.

So why do we continue to remain passive, and allow corporations and tech giants to profit from us?

The answer lies in the subtlety of it all…

Tech companies and states gather data from our devices and online activities (often without our explicit consent) so subtly that the feeling of being watched escapes our minds.

Surveillance capitalists don’t approach us with demands; they make us part of the system under the guise of seemingly free services we willingly sign up for, oblivious to the fact that ‘free’ comes at a nuanced cost.

So what can we do about it?

Ultimately, the power lies with us. The effectiveness of surveillance systems, whether private or public, hinges on the bits of ourselves that we willingly give up or have taken from us in a clandestine manner.

You can be the architect of your digital journey and footprint by equipping yourself with knowledge, and tailoring your actions accordingly.

Minimise your reliance on free digital services because you are always the commodity when something is free. Evaluate app permissions and be mindful of how your location data is shared. Shield your data and online identity with privacy focussed tools and technologies.

Stay informed about the evolving landscape of surveillance and data privacy, and advocate for regulations that safeguard individual privacy.

Due to the absence of resistance from law or society, surveillance capitalism is on the verge of dominating the social order and shaping our digital future. But that’s only if we allow it to do so.

So let’s empower ourselves through awareness, and ensure that the benefits of the evolving digital landscape are harnessed responsibly and ethically – for our own good.

Be the architect of your digital journey