We have three decades of bullshit behaviour on the internet as our reward.

Companies collect and analyse our data. We have benefitted from free or cheap access to everything—creativity, community, knowledge, and so much more. We have lost just as much in the tides of change. All are true.

But we’ve been desensitised from, “Sure, you can use my data to improve your service,” to “Okay, fine, sell my data so others can more effectively target me with ads,” to “You’re learning to write and speak like me?” and “You’re replicating my life’s work and rendering humanity obsolete?”

We made a Faustian bargain in the early days of the internet in exchange for our individual health and happiness and our societal wealth and well-being—not to mention our privacy and autonomy.

We have three decades of bullshit behaviour on the internet as our reward.

Because we didn’t stop the early abuses, the current era of privacy violations and “stop me if you can” business models is even more dire.

It’s time we unmasked these cartoon villains. These companies do not have our best interests in mind.