Tech billionaires are exploiting us.

Appalachian sage Wendell Berry once wrote, “Rural America is a colony, and its economy is a colonial economy. The business of America has been largely and without apology the plundering of rural America, from which everything of value — minerals, timber, water, human energy — has been extracted and carried away.” While Berry spoke of the tangible resources of the land, his searing critique of exploitation resonates powerfully in our digital age, where the ‘colonizers’ are increasingly tech billionaires, and the ‘resources’ are our data, our labor, and our attention.

Today, the plundering isn’t always visible in clear-cut forests or open-pit mines. It’s often invisible, happening behind screens and algorithms. We willingly hand over our personal information, engage with platforms that monetize our every click, and contribute to an ecosystem where a select few accumulate unprecedented wealth and power. Our ‘human energy’ is extracted through gig economies that offer flexibility but often deny benefits, security, and fair wages, creating a vast workforce dependent on the whims of tech giants.

This new colonial economy doesn’t just extract data; it extracts potential. It centralizes power and wealth, creating a stark divide between the digital elite and the rest of us. The promise of innovation often masks a reality of surveillance capitalism, where our lives become products and our autonomy is subtly eroded. Just as Berry lamented the loss of self-sufficiency and community in rural areas, we must now question what is lost when our digital commons are owned and controlled by a handful of powerful individuals.

It’s time to recognize the pattern. Whether it’s the natural resources of Appalachia or the digital footprint of a global population, unchecked power tends towards exploitation. Understanding this is the first step toward reclaiming our agency and demanding a more equitable future in the digital age.

Source: Original Article