The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power book club questions

1. 1.

   Zuboff says surveillance capitalism was not inevitable but resulted from specific decisions at specific companies. Does that framing change how you think about accountability?

2. 2.

   Which of the behavioral extraction practices Zuboff describes did you find most surprising, and why?

3. 3.

   She distinguishes between surveillance capitalism and a surveillance state. Are those threats separable in practice, or do they reinforce each other?

4. 4.

   Zuboff's prescription is fundamentally political: democratic deliberation over data rights. What would that process actually look like?

5. 5.

   Is the personalization you get from platforms worth the behavioral data you provide? How do you weigh that tradeoff?

6. 6.

   The book argues that surveillance capitalism poses a threat to human autonomy at a fundamental level. Do you find that argument convincing, or does it overstate the case?

7. 7.

   Zuboff coined the term 'surveillance capitalism' in 2014. Five years later she published this book. How has the landscape changed since then, and in which directions?

8. 8.

   She argues that regulation alone cannot fix the problem because the entire business model depends on the practices she describes. What would a structural alternative look like?

9. 9.

   Many people accept data extraction in exchange for free services. Is this a legitimate bargain, or is Zuboff right that meaningful consent is structurally impossible?

10. 10.

    The book focuses primarily on Google and Facebook. How does her framework apply to Amazon, Apple, or TikTok?

11. 11.

    What specific change in your own digital behavior, if any, has your reading of surveillance capitalism research prompted?

12. 12.

    Zuboff's writing is dense and sometimes repetitive. Did the length serve the argument or undermine it?

How to run the discussion

• Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
• Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
• Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
• Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.