jimmysong on Nostr: We're now a commodity. There's a saying that's become a bit of a cliche at this ...
We're now a commodity.
There's a saying that's become a bit of a cliche at this point: If you're getting something for free, you're the product. Indeed, that's the case for a lot of free services online like Google, Facebook and Instagram. These are companies that sell your attention to advertisers, your data to analytics firms and your tendencies to propagandists. More to the point, there are lots more free things like TV and radio that have been selling the same for a long time. You are the product.
What's concerning is that we're not being sold for advertising, but now for gambling. Sports these days is more about fantasy football and prop bets than it is cheering for your team. And nearly every crypto ad is about joining their casino. Even pay-to-play games are exploiting this dynamic, where getting us addicted is a lot more profitable than merely getting our attention.
It's a whole new evil out there. Stop being someone else's commodity.
There's a saying that's become a bit of a cliche at this point: If you're getting something for free, you're the product. Indeed, that's the case for a lot of free services online like Google, Facebook and Instagram. These are companies that sell your attention to advertisers, your data to analytics firms and your tendencies to propagandists. More to the point, there are lots more free things like TV and radio that have been selling the same for a long time. You are the product.
What's concerning is that we're not being sold for advertising, but now for gambling. Sports these days is more about fantasy football and prop bets than it is cheering for your team. And nearly every crypto ad is about joining their casino. Even pay-to-play games are exploiting this dynamic, where getting us addicted is a lot more profitable than merely getting our attention.
It's a whole new evil out there. Stop being someone else's commodity.