The open prison of the big data revolution
In this research commentary, the authors interrogate how tech firms use social practices and platform design to strategically manipulate individuals into accepting datafication and data assetization that accrue positive data network effects for themselves and mostly negative data network effects (economic loss, social and privacy harm) for individuals. They draw on the ideas of Heidegger and Marcuse to critically question the Big Data paradigm in order to develop better understanding of the social implications for individuals and society. Using the concepts of false consciousness, digital entrapment, and Faustian bargains, we critically inquire into the Big Data practices that keep us tethered to digital platforms. The authors explain how individuals are socially conditioned into a digital habitus (digital world) and to identifying themselves as homo digitalis, who view all their “relations” (social and economic) as digital. This social conditioning reproduces a false consciousness undermines our ability to make rational choices about digital technologies, and enables the risky compromises we make with the tech companies that manipulate and exploit us with their increasingly oppressive Big Data practices and related dark patterns. The authors argue that if we do not critically interrogate our false consciousness of the digital and understand how digital giants colonize our social systems by structurally embedding Big Data practices, we will continue to be susceptible to manipulation and digital entrapment, and erode the very foundations of the “good life,” freedom, liberty, and personal privacy.
Key Quotes:
"Everywhere we remain unfree and chained to technology… But we are delivered over to it in the worst possible way when we regard it as something neutral." (Heidegger, 1954)
"The open prison is necessary for the Big Data revolution. We cannot have Big Data without big surveillance." (Ngwenyama et al., 2024)
"The deeper our false consciousness of the digital, the more we legitimate our condition as homo digitalis, and the more difficult it is to contest the development of digitally enabled regimes of exploitation." (Ngwenyama et al., 2024)Key Themes:
Digital Entrapment: This concept, rooted in Heidegger's philosophy, describes how individuals become increasingly dependent on and controlled by digital technologies. The authors argue that this entrapment occurs through a combination of factors, including:
False consciousness: A lack of critical awareness about the true nature and potential harms of digital technologies. This is fueled by:
An "ideology of technology" that equates technology with progress and portrays it as neutral and inevitable.
The formation of a "digital habitus," a set of socialized practices and ways of thinking that normalize and encourage the uncritical use of digital technologies.
Faustian bargains: The authors draw an analogy to the story of Faustus, who traded his soul for power and knowledge. In the digital context, individuals unknowingly "trade" their data asset rights and privacy for the perceived benefits of digital platforms and services.
Coercive contracts: Digital service agreements are often designed to benefit tech companies at the expense of users, exploiting information asymmetry and legal expertise to coerce users into relinquishing their rights.
Negative Data Network Effects (NDNEs): These are the harmful consequences that result from the accumulation and analysis of user data, including economic loss, social harm, and privacy violations. Examples include personalized pricing, profiling, and manipulation.
Data Assetization and Exploitation: The authors highlight how tech companies engage in "datafication," transforming all aspects of human life into data points that can be analyzed and monetized. This data is treated as a "standing reserve," a resource to be exploited for profit.
The Role of Tech Companies: The authors argue that tech companies play a central role in creating and perpetuating digital entrapment. They invest heavily in shaping public perception, designing manipulative systems, and lobbying against regulation.Most Important Ideas/Facts:
The authors propose a theoretical model to explain the dynamics of digital entrapment (Figure 2 in the source). This model highlights the reinforcing relationships between ideology of technology, digital habitus, technological rationality, relentless innovation, regimes of exploitation and manipulation, datafication, NDNEs, and individual data asset rights.
The case of Microsoft Viva is used to illustrate how digital entrapment manifests in a real-world setting. The authors analyze how Viva collects vast amounts of employee data, potentially enabling intrusive surveillance and control. They also criticize Microsoft's user agreements as coercive and designed to strip users of their data asset rights.
The authors call for the development of a "social rationality of the digital" that prioritizes human rights and democratic values. They propose a research agenda focused on understanding false consciousness, digital entrapment, and the ethical implications of Big Data practices.
Overall, this paper provides a powerful critique of the current trajectory of the Big Data revolution, raising important questions about the ethical, social, and political implications of increasingly data-driven societies. It calls for greater critical awareness and action to prevent the "open prison" from becoming a reality.Ngwenyama, O., Rowe, F., Klein, S., & Henriksen, H. Z. (2024). The open prison of the big data revolution: false consciousness, faustian bargains, and digital entrapment (external link, opens in new window) . Information Systems Research, 35(4), 2030-2058. DOI: 10.1287/isre.2020.0588