Hola!
I am so excited, y’all.1
You’re gonna meet Rachel on People Watching in a few weeks, but… We’ve been kicking around the idea of just hitting “record” and talking about books. So we did it.
In our first episode of what we hope becomes a monthly discussion, we introduce The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff. We dig into the first two chapters, discussing Zuboff's definitions of surveillance capitalism, its implications on privacy, data collection, and the future, and key themes such as the asymmetry of power and the ethics of data collection. We especially talk about how surveillance capitalism intersects with our daily lives, and how it affects the life of the church in the Western world.
And because it’s us, and we are chaotic, eclectic and voracious readers,2 we share what we’ve been reading and plan to read next, covering everything from fantasy romances to socioeconomic theories and Christian theology.
Watch On YouTube
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:17 Overview of 'The Age of Surveillance Capitalism'
00:55 Defining Surveillance Capitalism
03:29 Initial Reactions and Key Themes
06:40 Why Read This Book?
09:03 Key Themes of This Book
10:41 The Right to the Future Tense and Sanctuary
11:39 Economic Systems and Morality
13:13 The Impact of Deregulation
26:27 Personalization and Data Privacy
43:11 Understanding Our Complex Social Experiences
44:34 Political Ineptitude and Tech Influence
45:08 Invisible Rulers
46:23 The Disconnect Between Policymakers and Technology
52:38 The Rise of the Entrepreneurial Pastor
54:26 The Shift in Modernity and Individualization
01:03:23 Critiquing Neoliberalism and Political Alignments
01:05:56 The Importance of Constructive Critique
01:07:33 The Impact of Surveillance Capitalism
01:12:41 Pastors in Modern Churches
01:13:48 Becoming Unscalable
01:21:51 Fun, Non-serious Books
01:25:52 Heartless Hunter: Mild Spoilers
01:32:55 Audiobooks and Listening Preferences
01:39:49 Book Recommendations and Reviews
Want to help me continue sharing free stuff? Buy a book!
I am especially excited to think about what it means to become un⋅scale⋅able in a moment where everything—including ourselves—gets pushed to be bigger, faster, more. So grab your headphones, and settle in: we like to talk. And we hope you like to listen.
Let’s be hopeful, creative, and wise—together.
Shalom,
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