Are we being watched?

In the article "High Tech is Watching You,” John Laidler interviews Professor Shoshana Zuboff about social capitalism this is a summary of the article.

What is surveillance capitalism? Shoshana Zuboff defines “Surveillance capitalism as the unilateral claiming of private human experience as free raw material for translation into behavioral data.” In other words, our data information is collected with every click and swipe we do. That information is sold to businesses to gather information for their needs. In this article, the interview format makes the reader feel a part of the conversation. John Laider, the interviewer, helps influence rhetorical effectiveness by asking, What can we do? Implying there is a problem, and we need to take a stand. Zuboff establishes her credibility by discussing her research analysis she conducted from her book “ The Support Economy.” She speaks about how in the past, they tried to monetize and gain control of the media. This makes it seem personal; when something happens, they use it to gain control of the media and limit us. She brings two examples, the Gilded Age and 9/11, and how each affected surveillance. Zuboff frames big companies like Google and Facebook as money-hungry. They do not seem to care for their users as long as they are making money off them. By collecting their data and giving it to anyone willing to pay the highest amount. Nowadays, people are more aware of companies' schemes and are willing to take a stand. Demand more control and protection over their information.