Surveillance capitalism is built on a simple premise: human behaviour is predictable, and predictable behaviour can be sold. Tech companies do not sell products to users - they sell users' attention and predicted future behaviour to advertisers. This is not a bug in the system. It is the system. The problem is not that companies know a great deal about us. The problem is that this knowledge is used not to serve us, but to influence us - subtly and invisibly - towards actions that generate more revenue. Zuboff describes this as a 'rogue capitalism' that operates outside democratic oversight. The question for society is whether this extraction of behavioural data requires the same legal protections we apply to our bodies and our homes.
💡 Did you know? Google processes approximately 8.5 billion searches per day. Each one generates behavioural data that refines its advertising model.
Topic: Surveillance Capitalism
Key words
Vocabulary
01
surveillance capitalism
an economic system based on the collection and commodification of personal data
02
behavioural data
information collected about how individuals act, click, and make choices
03
commodify
to treat something as a product to be bought and sold
04
consent
agreement to something, usually given explicitly
05
asymmetry
a situation where two sides have very different levels of power or knowledge
06
nudge
a subtle influence that guides behaviour without explicit coercion
07
opacity
the quality of being difficult to understand or see through
08
extraction
removing or taking something, often with no benefit to the source
09
complicit
involved in or aware of wrongdoing without actively opposing it
010
recalibrate
to adjust or reset a system or understanding
Match the Words
Click a word on the left, then click its definition on the right.
surveillance capitalism
behavioural data
commodify
consent
asymmetry
nudge
opacity
extraction
complicit
recalibrate
removing or taking something, often with no benefit to the source
agreement to something, usually given explicitly
to treat something as a product to be bought and sold
involved in or aware of wrongdoing without actively opposing it
a subtle influence that guides behaviour without explicit coercion
the quality of being difficult to understand or see through
to adjust or reset a system or understanding
a situation where two sides have very different levels of power or knowledge
an economic system based on the collection and commodification of personal data
information collected about how individuals act, click, and make choices
Say it right
Pronunciation
surveillance capitalism
SURVEILLANCE capitalism
behavioural data
BEHAVIOURAL data
commodify
COM-mod-ify
consent
CON-sent
asymmetry
ASY-mme-try
nudge
NU-dge
Read & Discuss
Short Dialogue
A:
I've been thinking a lot about surveillance capitalism recently.
B:
Really? What's your take on it?
A:
I think the issue of behavioural data is often misunderstood.
B:
I agree. Most people don't consider the impact of commodify.
A:
Exactly. And when you add consent into the mix, it gets complicated.
B:
So what do you think the solution is?
A:
Honestly? It requires both individual action and systemic change.
B:
That's a fair point. It's never just one or the other.
Comprehension
What topic are they discussing?
What does person B agree with?
What does person A say the solution requires?
Practice
Exercises
Gap Fill
Complete each sentence using vocabulary from today's lesson.
1. Shoshana Zuboff coined the term ''.
2. Platforms harvest vast amounts of from users.
3. The concept of is important in this context.
4. Are users genuinely giving informed to data collection?
5. There is a deep information between platforms and users.
Error Correction
Find and correct the mistake in each sentence.
The surveillance capitalism of data has raise serious concerns.
Despite of the challenges, they succeeded.
The report, that was published last year, is relevant.
She suggested to review the consent more carefully.
Speaking practice
Speaking Prompts
Discuss with your partner
Do you feel in control of your personal data? Why or why not?
Should users be paid for their data? What would that look like in practice?
Is regulation sufficient to address surveillance capitalism, or does the business model itself need to change?
Summarise today's topic in 3 sentences using vocabulary from this lesson.
Grammar focus: Nominalisation - converting verbs and adjectives into nouns to sound more formal... — can you give an example?
Open discussion
Discussion Generator
More Questions
Use with pairs or whole class · Encourage full answers
Write a 250-word analytical essay: Is surveillance capitalism an inevitable consequence of a free internet, or a failure of regulation and political will? Use nominalisation and hedging where appropriate.
