The Age of Surveillance Capitalism

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Shoshana Zuboff has a PhD in social psychology from Harvard University, as well as BA in philosophy from the University of Chicago. She is currently the Charles Edward Wilson Professor emerita at Harvard Business School. Her previous books include In the Age of the Smart Machine.

The evolution of surveillance capitalism reflects a troubling pattern: initial public resistance to invasive practices, such as internet cookies or Google’s data-collecting projects like Street View and Pokémon Go, often gives way to passive acceptance. This benefits companies like Google and Facebook, which aim to normalize their activities as inevitable. Beyond privacy concerns, the implications of such data collection extend to democracy and personal autonomy, as corporations refine their ability to predict and influence behavior through advanced emotional analytics and behaviorist strategies. These methods, rooted in theories like B.F. Skinner’s behaviorism, exploit moments of vulnerability to shape decisions and maximize profits. While surveillance capitalism thrives in today’s deregulated corporate environment, its dominance is not unavoidable. Awareness of its methods and consequences is crucial, especially for younger generations growing up in a world where such practices are normalized, often at the cost of psychological well-being. The next section will delve deeper into how these entities succeed in altering behavior.

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