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A review by joshwilks111
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff
3.0
This was a challening read- both in terms of the content and the level of vocabulary/writing style that was used.
In terms of the content, Shoshana has written a polemic on the rise of "big data" companies. She argues that the business structure of these companies, which she has termed "surveillance capitalism", is predatory and has invaded our privacy without our consent. We are the raw material that is being sold, and what are we getting out of it? this aspect was challenging because there are aspects of life that are much easier from the use of Google or Facebook's services, and resistance is in some way futile. It is up to policy makers to regulate these companies before it is too late.
" Before we begin, I want to say a word about vocabulary. Ant confrontation with the unprecedented requires new language, and I introduce new terms when existing language fails to capture a new phenomenon"
In terms of the vocabulary, this book was hard to read. Often times groups of 5-10 descriptors were used in a row to drive home a point. there were times where these descriptors needed to be fleshed out to be a bit clearer. I think if I was more passionate about the topic I would have taken more time to reflect on why she used each of these and why.
Read this book if you are economically minded or willing to put in the work to get into a philosophical, political, economic mindset. This is a BIG picture book. For a general audience it may fall a bit flat- it was a little too verbose for me. Overall, I am better of having read it but it will require re-visiting or expanding upon for me to have a conversation about this topic.
In terms of the content, Shoshana has written a polemic on the rise of "big data" companies. She argues that the business structure of these companies, which she has termed "surveillance capitalism", is predatory and has invaded our privacy without our consent. We are the raw material that is being sold, and what are we getting out of it? this aspect was challenging because there are aspects of life that are much easier from the use of Google or Facebook's services, and resistance is in some way futile. It is up to policy makers to regulate these companies before it is too late.
" Before we begin, I want to say a word about vocabulary. Ant confrontation with the unprecedented requires new language, and I introduce new terms when existing language fails to capture a new phenomenon"
In terms of the vocabulary, this book was hard to read. Often times groups of 5-10 descriptors were used in a row to drive home a point. there were times where these descriptors needed to be fleshed out to be a bit clearer. I think if I was more passionate about the topic I would have taken more time to reflect on why she used each of these and why.
Read this book if you are economically minded or willing to put in the work to get into a philosophical, political, economic mindset. This is a BIG picture book. For a general audience it may fall a bit flat- it was a little too verbose for me. Overall, I am better of having read it but it will require re-visiting or expanding upon for me to have a conversation about this topic.