The Age of Surveillance Capitalism Talk - Shoshana Zuboff Alternate Link
Writing Lab
Reclaiming Mental Sanctuary in an Algorithmic Age
Shoshana Zuboff:
Zuboff (2019) argues that surveillance capitalism claims human experience as raw material for translation into behavioral data. The goal is automated certainty.
Ruha Benjamin: Abolitionist Tools
Benjamin (2019) calls for informed refusal to challenge the imagination of the status quo.
Useful Concepts
-
Epistemic Stamina: Epistemic stamina is the capacity for sustained mental effort and intellectual persistence required to engage in deep inquiry and original thought, serving as a critical defense against the cognitive offloading and passivity encouraged by automated algorithmic systems.
-
Behavioral Surplus: Are your tastes yours, or are they a prediction of what you will likely consume next?
-
The Right to the Sanctuary: The internal space for original thought that remains unharvested by data systems (Zuboff, 2019).
-
Friction: The intentional slowing down of a process to ensure cognitive agency.
Reflection Prompt
Reflect on the tension between the convenience of algorithmic certainty and the preservation of your own cognitive agency.
In what ways has the frictionless nature of your digital life—from curated feeds to AI writing tools—narrowed your curiosity or thinned your stamina?
Linking your thoughts to Zuboff’s “right to the sanctuary,” describe one specific habit of informed refusal or subversive design you could adopt. How would this act of intentional friction help you reclaim your agency and protect your ability to think unpredictably?