‘we are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. the trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.’
― ray bradbury
and you don't know
do you ever pay attention to those cookie banners that pop up every time you visit a website? you may have ignored them or shrugged them off by clicking the big button that says 'allow all', not thinking twice about what they actually represent or mean. every time you allow cookies, you also enable the website to track what you do and subsequently to sell that data to data brokers, who can construct a detailed picture of your online habits. in fact, 79% of websites track their visitors' activities (srivastava et al.). knowledge is the most powerful weapon and can be wielded by any government or corporation to invade your privacy, control what you see, and manipulate your behaviour. the far-reaching consequences of this are evident in fahrenheit 451, a dystopia that is converging ever closer to today's digital age.
‘coloured people don't like little black sambo. burn it. white people don't feel good about uncle tom's cabin. burn it. someone's written a book on tobacco and cancer of the lungs? the cigarette people are weeping? burn the book. serenity, montag. peace, montag. take your fight outside. better yet, into the incinerator.’
― ray bradbury, fahrenheit 451
and that's the problem
two out of three internet users live in a country where the government exercises complete control over what is seen or done on the internet (kelly et al.). even if you belong to the minority, you are likely still affected by some form of internet censorship and regulation. beyond the explicit block pages and http 451 errors of the internet lie the implicit filter bubbles that systematically and discreetly control what you see. companies incorporate filter bubbles into their applications, ensuring that you are exposed only to content that aligns with your existing views and beliefs. this process polarises your opinions and distorts your perception of reality. although it may appear harmless on the surface, it ultimately renders you more docile, uninformed, and susceptible to manipulation.
‘i'll hold on to the world tight some day. i've got one finger on it now; that's a beginning.’
― ray bradbury, fahrenheit 451
is the total market value of data brokers
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data points have been breached since 2004
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people were affected by data breaches in 2022
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