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instrumentarian-power

A form of power emerging from surveillance capitalism that asserts dominance over society through data-driven behavioral control.

12 chapters across 3 books

In The Age Of The Smart MachineUnknown

PART III

This chapter introduces the concept of surveillance capitalism as a new economic order that exploits human experience for commercial gain, posing unprecedented threats to human nature and societal sovereignty. It reflects on the enduring human quest for 'home' amid the digital transformation, illustrating this through the example of the 'Aware Home' project and its evolution into commercial smart-home devices like Google's Nest thermostat, which ultimately undermine individual privacy and control. The chapter highlights the tension between technological promise and the erosion of personal sanctuary in the emerging information civilization.

Part I moves on to a close examination of surveillance capitalism’s invention and early elaboration at Google, beginning with the discovery and early development of what would become its foundational mechanisms, economic imperatives, and “laws of motion.” For all of Google’s technological prowess and computational talent, the real credit for its success goes to the radical social relations that the company declared as facts, beginning with its disregard for the boundaries of private human experience and the moral integrity of the autonomous individual. Instead, surveillance capitalists asserted their right to invade at will, usurping individual decision rights in favor of unilateral surveillance and the self-authorized extraction of human experience for others’ profit. These invasive claims were nurtured by the absence of law to impede their progress, the mutuality of interests between the fledgling surveillance capitalists and state intelligence agencies, and the tenacity with which the corporation defended its new territories. Eventually, Google codified a tactical playbook on the strength of which its surveillance capitalist operations were successfully institutionalized as the dominant form of information capitalism, drawing new competitors eager to participate in the race for surveillance revenues. On the strength of these achievements, Google and its expanding universe of competitors enjoy extraordinary new asymmetries of knowledge and power, unprecedented in the human story. I argue that the significance of these developments is best understood as the privatization of the division of learning in society, the critical axis of social order in the twenty-first century.

This chapter analyzes the emergence and institutionalization of surveillance capitalism, focusing on Google's foundational role in developing mechanisms that disregard individual privacy and autonomy for profit. It traces the expansion of surveillance capitalism from online data extraction to real-world behavioral modification, highlighting the rise of instrumentarian power embodied in a pervasive computational infrastructure called Big Other. The chapter argues that these developments represent a privatization of societal learning and a novel, deeply antidemocratic form of power that challenges traditional understandings of autonomy, democracy, and social order.

PART III

This chapter introduces the concept of instrumentarian power as a new, unprecedented form of power underpinning surveillance capitalism, distinct from twentieth-century totalitarianism. It critiques the common tendency to interpret surveillance capitalism through the lens of totalitarianism, arguing that instrumentarianism operates through behavioral modification and prediction rather than coercion or soul engineering. The chapter also provides a historical overview of totalitarianism's origins and characteristics to clarify what instrumentarian power is not, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of its unique mechanisms.

PART III

PART III of 'In The Age Of The Smart Machine' explores the emergence of instrumentarian power as a new form of societal control in the third modernity, contrasting it with traditional totalitarianism. It analyzes how technology, particularly surveillance capitalism, reshapes human behavior, social relations, and concepts of freedom, culminating in a new collectivism driven by data and behavioral modification. The section also discusses the implications of this power for individuality, justice, and democracy, highlighting the challenges posed by the rise of 'Big Other' and the need for resistance.

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power (2019)Shoshana Zuboff

PART III

Part III of 'The Age of Surveillance Capitalism' outlines the emergence of instrumentarian power as a new form of dominance in the digital age, focusing on how surveillance capitalism transforms human experience into raw material for behavioral modification and control. The chapter contrasts early optimistic visions of smart homes as private sanctuaries with the reality of pervasive data extraction and loss of individual sovereignty, exemplified by devices like Google's Nest thermostat. It highlights the erosion of privacy and autonomy under surveillance capitalism, framing it as a 'coup from above' that threatens human rights and the concept of home.

Part I moves on to a close examination of surveillance capitalism’s invention and early elaboration at Google, beginning with the discovery and early development of what would become its foundational mechanisms, economic imperatives, and “laws of motion.” For all of Google’s technological prowess and computational talent, the real credit for its success goes to the radical social relations that the company declared as facts, beginning with its disregard for the boundaries of private human experience and the moral integrity of the autonomous individual. Instead, surveillance capitalists asserted their right to invade at will, usurping individual decision rights in favor of unilateral surveillance and the self-authorized extraction of human experience for others’ profit. These invasive claims were nurtured by the absence of law to impede their progress, the mutuality of interests between the fledgling surveillance capitalists and state intelligence agencies, and the tenacity with which the corporation defended its new territories. Eventually, Google codified a tactical playbook on the strength of which its surveillance capitalist operations were successfully institutionalized as the dominant form of information capitalism, drawing new competitors eager to participate in the race for surveillance revenues. On the strength of these achievements, Google and its expanding universe of competitors enjoy extraordinary new asymmetries of knowledge and power, unprecedented in the human story. I argue that the significance of these developments is best understood as the privatization of the division of learning in society, the critical axis of social order in the twenty-first century.

This chapter analyzes the invention and early development of surveillance capitalism at Google, highlighting how the company established foundational mechanisms that disregard individual privacy and autonomy in favor of unilateral data extraction for profit. It traces the expansion of these practices from online environments into real-world behavior modification, and introduces the concept of instrumentarian power, a novel form of control enabled by digital infrastructures that surpasses traditional totalitarian models. The chapter argues that these developments represent a privatization of society's division of learning and pose profound challenges to individual autonomy, democratic order, and the future of human nature.

PART III

This chapter introduces 'instrumentarian power' as a novel form of power distinct from twentieth-century totalitarianism, rooted in surveillance capitalism's behavioral modification and prediction markets. It contrasts instrumentarianism's focus on behavioral instrumentation and monetization with totalitarianism's aim of soul engineering and genocide, emphasizing the unprecedented nature of both. The chapter also reviews the origins and philosophical foundations of totalitarianism to prepare for a deeper exploration of instrumentarian power's unique mechanisms and implications.

PART III

Part III of 'The Age of Surveillance Capitalism' explores the emergence of instrumentarian power as a new species of power distinct from traditional totalitarianism, focusing on how surveillance capitalism constructs a society governed by behavioral modification and certainty. It discusses the rise of 'Big Other' as a market-driven force that seeks total certainty through data extraction and behavioral prediction, leading to a new form of social order characterized by loss of individuality and the creation of a 'hive' society. The section concludes with reflections on the implications for freedom, justice, and democracy, emphasizing the urgent need to resist this new form of power.

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism (2019)Shoshana Zuboff

Part I moves on to a close examination of surveillance capitalism’s invention and early elaboration at Google, beginning with the discovery and early development of what would become its foundational mechanisms, economic imperatives, and “laws of motion.” For all of Google’s technological prowess and computational talent, the real credit for its success goes to the radical social relations that the company declared as facts, beginning with its disregard for the boundaries of private human experience and the moral integrity of the autonomous individual. Instead, surveillance capitalists asserted their right to invade at will, usurping individual decision rights in favor of unilateral surveillance and the self-authorized extraction of human experience for others’ profit. These invasive claims were nurtured by the absence of law to impede their progress, the mutuality of interests between the fledgling surveillance capitalists and state intelligence agencies, and the tenacity with which the corporation defended its new territories. Eventually, Google codified a tactical playbook on the strength of which its surveillance capitalist operations were successfully institutionalized as the dominant form of information capitalism, drawing new competitors eager to participate in the race for surveillance revenues. On the strength of these achievements, Google and its expanding universe of competitors enjoy extraordinary new asymmetries of knowledge and power, unprecedented in the human story. I argue that the significance of these developments is best understood as the privatization of the division of learning in society, the critical axis of social order in the twenty-first century.

This chapter analyzes the emergence and institutionalization of surveillance capitalism at Google, highlighting how the company pioneered invasive data extraction by disregarding individual privacy and moral autonomy. It traces the expansion of surveillance capitalism from online data extraction to real-world behavioral modification, emphasizing the rise of instrumentarian power embodied in a pervasive computational infrastructure called Big Other. The chapter argues that these developments represent a privatization of societal learning and a new form of power that challenges democratic norms and individual autonomy.

Part III follows surveillance capitalism into a second phase change. The first was the migration from the virtual to the real world. The second is a shift of focus from the real world to the social world, as society itself becomes the new object of extraction and control. Just as industrial society was imagined as a well-functioning machine, instrumentarian society is imagined as a human simulation of machine learning systems: a confluent hive mind in which each element learns and operates in concert with every other element. In the model of machine confluence, the “freedom” of each individual machine is subordinated to the knowledge of the system as a whole. Instrumentarian power aims to organize, herd, and tune society to achieve a similar social confluence, in which group pressure and computational certainty replace politics and democracy, extinguishing the felt reality and social function of an individualized existence. The youngest members of our societies already experience many of these destructive dynamics in their attachment to social media, the first global experiment in the human hive. I consider the implications of these developments for a second elemental right: the right to sanctuary. The human need for a space of inviolable refuge has persisted in civilized societies from ancient times but is now under attack as surveillance capital creates a world of “no exit” with profound implications for the human future at this new frontier of power.

This chapter traces surveillance capitalism's evolution from exploiting virtual and real-world data to targeting the social world itself, transforming society into a controllable 'hive mind' where individual autonomy is subordinated to system-wide knowledge and control. It highlights the unprecedented nature of surveillance capitalism as a form of power that undermines democratic sovereignty and individual sanctuary, emphasizing the need for collective awareness and action to reclaim a human-centered digital future. The author situates her analysis within a broad intellectual tradition and empirical research, focusing on major tech firms as exemplars rather than sole perpetrators of this new logic of accumulation.

PART III

This chapter introduces 'instrumentarian power' as a novel form of power distinct from twentieth-century totalitarianism, rooted in surveillance capitalism's ability to modify and monetize human behavior through digital means. It contrasts instrumentarianism with totalitarianism, emphasizing that while totalitarian regimes sought to reshape human souls through coercion and violence, instrumentarian power operates through behavioral modification and prediction without physical violence. The chapter also traces the origins and philosophical underpinnings of totalitarianism to clarify the unprecedented nature of instrumentarian power.

PART III

Part III of 'The Age of Surveillance Capitalism' explores the emergence of instrumentarian power as a novel form of totalitarian control in the context of a third modernity. It analyzes how surveillance capitalism creates a new social order where human behavior is manipulated through technology, leading to the erosion of individual freedom and the rise of a collective hive-like society governed by data-driven certainty. The chapters discuss the implications of this power for democracy, social relations, and the right to sanctuary, culminating in a call to resist this new collectivism.