Digital Social Technology - A Willing Institutional Surrender of Human Freedoms

“What we did not realize, was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly.” - Dr. Arnim Zola [Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)]

The Hon’ble Digital Social Technology - A Willing Institutional Surrender of Human Freedoms. Thle Delhi High Court is of the view that, the subscription to the Social Media App Whatsapp is voluntary and any sharing of data with Facebook is with your voluntary consent. (https://www.forbesindia.com/article/special/whatsapp-privacy-case-if-it-is-a-voluntary-app-what-is-the-issue-asks-delhi-hc/65949/1)

There is much agony over the above issue. Much has been written over the issue of data privacy, surveillance and the final nail in the coffin – asking members of the public to be careful with social media– something which the public can no longer afford with technology.

The Social media and the Internet today is an “Ecosystem” with Humanity.

The Social media and the Internet today is an “Ecosystem” with Humanity. call it the Digital Social Technology Ecosystem. It encapsulates everything that humans do online including Social Media, Email and payment transactions.

Entire personal and professional lives are run through the this Ecosystem. Political Systems of Governance are milking Social Media for maximum visibility. The Government not only encourages Digital Payments but develops entire ecosystems towards it. Cash payments are being slowly discouraged in order to promote Digital Payments. This does not demonize Digital Payment systems.

The danger is that, Social Media Companies are entering into the Digital Payments Domain. The fact that is being forgotten that, the current Digital Social Technology's Business Models are unethical and opaque to the common man. No one got addicted to Internet Banking a few decades back. But now, Many are addicted to making digital payments for online games as it is based on the Social Media Business Model.

The problem is not the adoption of Technology, but the adoption of the same Business Model of Social Media to all aspects of Digital Social Technology.

Why are Police Authorities encouraged to create and use Official Social Media and conduct Social Media Campaigns? Why are Government owned businesses permitted to reach out to customers through Social Media? Why do Governments open official Social Media Channels to communicate with the public?

Issues posted on the Social Media attract the attention of the Authorities and the other, legally recognized modes of addressing public grievances are not given the same urgent and visible attention no matter how grave or shocking it is, thanks to the sustained psychological assault of Digital Social Technology Business Model.

This very imbalance of Institutional Attention, sends a message that, Social Media is compulsory and not voluntary. The compulsion comes from the Institutions who act as Peers for the Society. Drug and Alcohol Addicts are created due to peer pressure, it is a known fact.

When the very business models of Social Media is to cause addiction, why are our institutions behaving like peers causing addiction? Is it because our institutions are unaware of the ill effects of the business models?

One may say that the Tamil Nadu Government legally promotes TASMAC but the entire society has not become alcoholics. Alcohol does not have the power and reach of social media algorithms. It cannot manipulate human emotions like Social Media. If you do not consume alcohol, you do not feel like a stranger in your own city. Whereas, if you do not use Social Media, you will be left out of almost every activity essential for a human survival in civilization today.

Surveillance, Breach of Privacy, Unethical Data Business Models, Technology Addiction will not have been possible without the consent of our Human Institutions.

The Industry of Digital Social Technology runs on a common business model that feeds on human addiction, with powerful computer algorithms that have minds of their own beyond the control of the human programmer. The infrastructure is owned by Corporate entities as Intellectual Property. The Entities in this Industry have gained enough power and control to openly threaten or negotiate with Democratic Governments to promote their business model and algorithms… and using the very laws that were meant to protect Human Society.

When we have already surrendered our mental, emotional lives to Social Media's Business Model, why are we being peer pressured by our institutions into surrendering even our economic lives to Social Media Business Models?

If Officials put a smartphone in the hands of every child and engage in advertising, our institutions are playing into the hands of the unethical business model while enslaving the child and its future to the unethical business model.

If Our Institutions continue to surrender Human Freedoms To Unethical Business Models of Digital Social Technology, soon the very algorithms will directly justify their actions that, We Humans Consented to User Their Power 'Voluntarily'.

It Might Be Too Late By Then.

*first published on Linked IN by the author on 02 February 2021.