the trust reflex is easily, often and meticulously exploited. unsafe or compromising choices online align poorly with domains we are adept in.
clearly, it is possible by now to systematically provoke compulsive behaviors and involuntary movements. this is accomplished by exploiting precisely that poor alignment. people are doing this to you, and it confines and diminishes your agency. it will always get in the way of actualizing and nourishing your self.
to do this deliberately is heinous. we call defense against this assault privacy.
we are getting better at perceiving (feeling and sensing, not deducing) that our privacy is being violated. this capability is young and immature. we don’t have time to wait for it to grow up. information technology and capitalism therefore make up a distasteful stew, as together they efficiently systematize this deleterious effect. in fact, this has been accomplished to such rambunctious success that it has become a credible extinction risk.
somehow, i still cling to hope that information systems can empower rather than abuse. i have at best a weak theorem; it begins with a deafening “if”. if information technology can be aligned with our deep capabilities, so that we can rely on them to help discern and manage our privacy choices, then a pathway to sustainable and technological futures might exist to be discovered (in time).