Abbie

In addition to the points the other posts have made, I think we’ve been conditioned to believe that cost = quality, “you get what you pay for.”

They did where I live, and continued to do so until the Walmarts moved in.

First and foremost, I equate privacy with dignity and respect.

But now it’s also a matter of self defense. A woman in Texas does not want to be caught looking up abortion clinics. An immigrant searching for legal council could find themselves visited by ICE. An idle comment that you are anti-fascist could end up labeling you as a domestic terrorist. A tasteless joke you posted as a teenager could cost you a job as an adult.

Fifteen years ago my mother was on Facebook and the algorithm figured out she had breast cancer. She was flooded with quack cures and ads for clinics in Mexico. She didn’t fall for, but if she had, it could have killed her.

It isn’t just about Amazon trying to sell you a toilet seat. The stakes are higher than that.

Stores used to ring up your groceries, bag your groceries, take them to your car, and load them up for you.

Now they’ve got you convinced that if you aren’t doing their work for them for free, you’re violating some sort of implied social contract.