Notes on "Monitoring Capitalism" (summarized from the original work)

Graham 2022-04-20 09:02:00

Surveillance Capitalism: The Smart Trap (2020)
8.7
2020 / USA / Documentary / Jeff Orlowsky / Jaylen Lanier Roger McNamee

social media isn't a tool waiting patiently for its owners, they are things good at... - Grabbing attention as much as possible (using human psychology of addiction and human nature of socializing and caring about other's opinion) so that they can predict who we are, selling certainty to the advertisers, ie real customers;

- manipulating behaviors and perceptions in a gradual slight imperceptible way, and as it digs deeper and deeper into the brain stem, it takes over kids' sense of self-worth and identity. This is real power because of its undetectability.

The price of the information cocoon is the polarization of opinions

- Amplifying exponential gossip and hearsay to the point that people don't know what's true, no matter what issue we care about. This brings out the worst side of a society which causes an existential threat, not as an individual but as a society. For instance, crumbled democracy is one of their vices. (ps: false information spreads 6 times faster than the true one )

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Extended Reading
  • Ayden 2022-01-03 08:01:47

    Indulging in resistance while resisting, there is no solution.

  • Skyla 2022-04-24 07:01:15

    Exaggerated and biased documentary. From my prejudice, I still think that you are talking about the impact of technology on people, the impact of political elections on democracy, but not the issue of capital, which is to treat the symptoms rather than the root cause. It is also possible that everything is the fault of capital and it is already cliche, so this documentary wants to find another way? Anyway, I still think that there is nothing wrong with technology. It mainly depends on how we use it. In fact, the various disadvantages of algorithms and sns can also be used as examples. Aren't metoo and blm a movement developed from sns? Perhaps the only thing that can be agreed upon is that we are indeed at a turning point in history, and humanity may be on its way to the next stage. But whether it is good or bad is hard to say, it may all depend on our choice.

The Social Dilemma quotes

  • Self - Founding Father of Virtual Reality: It's the critics who are the true optimists.

  • Tristan Harris - Google, Former Design Ethicist: If you're not paying for the product, then you are the product.