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The elemental human need for an inviolable refuge, threatened by surveillance capitalism's creation of a world with 'no exit.'
4 chapters across 3 books
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 analyzes the evolution of surveillance capitalism from focusing on virtual and real-world data extraction to targeting the social world itself, creating an 'instrumentarian society' modeled as a human hive mind subordinated to system knowledge. It critiques the totalizing control of individuals, the erosion of democratic freedoms, and the assault on the right to sanctuary, while distinguishing surveillance capitalism from traditional capitalism and highlighting the roles of major tech firms. The author combines social science and essayistic methods, grounding theoretical insights in empirical research and personal reflection to map the unprecedented logic of surveillance capitalism and its implications for democracy and human 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 analyzes the second phase change of surveillance capitalism, shifting its focus from the real world to the social world, where society itself becomes the object of extraction and control. It critiques the emergence of an 'instrumentarian society' modeled as a human hive mind subordinated to system knowledge, threatening individual autonomy and democratic processes. The author distinguishes surveillance capitalism from traditional capitalism, highlights the roles of major tech firms, and calls for collective action to reclaim human sovereignty and the right to sanctuary in the digital age.
PART IIIPart 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.
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.