Yes. That is correct. All of the big (multibillion) dollar social-media-based and search-based big tech companies make the vast majority of their money on the surveillance capital business model.

Since people are increasingly dependent (addicted would probably be a better term) on "free" social-media services and feel a human need to be a "part of a large social network" (or "not to be left out", or feel they are "missing out"); people exchange their privacy to be a part of the herd on social media and in search. This is "unstoppable". Pandora's box has already been opened wide and there is no turning back, I am afraid.

I have, in fact, experienced this, when I recently decided to stop YouTube from tracking me and recommending videos. Then, I found I could not "stand it" because YT is nearly unbearable (for me) unless it is recommending the latest Node-RED, ESP32, electronics, Arduino tutorials, arbitrary waveform generator videos, etc.

So, in fact, I found that when I tried to end the ability for YT to track and surveil all my online video-watching activities, I could not bear YT anymore, so I reversed course and permitted YT to track me again even though I well understand "surveillance capitalism" and what is going on (but I permit this to happen so I can get the YT recommendations I love every day). It's only only me. It's just about everyone. We are increasingly dependent on the surveillance capital business model because there are (so far) few viable alternatives.

Society is trading the illusion of privacy for the ease of use of "information networks" in all aspects of our daily lives. People say they want "privacy," but in reality they really want "information convenience" (more and more information relevant to them) ; and that is why the tech companies can grow to such wealth and power. It is precisely because the only raw material these "big other" corporation have to produce goods is from the behavioral exhaust (Zuboff) of online activity.

This new age of "instrumentarian power" as defined by Zuboff:

From the WIki:

Since, I have come to believe, there is no way (and nor is their "human will") to stop surveillance capitalism and the rise of "instrumentarian power", one logical conclusion / direction is for individuals, group, communities, etc. is to create their own alternative "instrumentarian power" which is not a part "big other" surveillance capitalism.

In other words, one key viable path forward for human society, now in the early stages of the rise of instrumentarianism, is to create their own "DYI Instrumetarianism" (my term).

This is a very interesting topic and I think everyone should read Zuboff's book (or listen to the audio book). The problem is that, in Zuboff's book , her recommendation is for "the people to rise up" to try to force governments to regulate the big tech companies. In my opinion, it is far to too late for that and (anyway) it will not work in countries where where the government and industry are in a symbiotic surveillance capitalists relationship. Futhermore, as we are starting to see clearly, globally, the rise of instrumentarian power is making governments a more-than-a-bit obsolete and quite "old fashioned" anyway. Government power is becoming secondary to instrumentarian power.


Again, with so much amazing, powerful, free software to create IT applications and networks, the way ahead (according to my foggy crystal ball), is the rise of anti-surveillance capitalism via DYI Instrumentarianism.

This can also be viewed as an kind of " instrumentarianism arms race"

New terms I just introduced (derived) above, not directly in Zuboff's book (FYI):

However, if you search for "anti-surveillance capitalism" (which I just did for the first time), there are a lot of hits on this term.