Shoshana Zuboff

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism

1. IDEA 1

   A new capitalism has emerged

   Zuboff argues that companies like Google and Facebook pioneered surveillance capitalism, a new economic system. It turns people's online and offline behaviour into data that can be sold to others who want to predict and influence what people will do.

2. IDEA 2

   Extra data became a raw material

   Zuboff explains behavioural surplus: data collected beyond what is needed to improve a service. Google discovered that this surplus could be used to target advertising, turning users' experiences into raw material for profit.

3. IDEA 3

   Predictions are the real product

   The main products of surveillance capitalism, Zuboff argues, are predictions of human behaviour. These prediction products are sold in markets to businesses that want to know what people will buy or do next.

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