Facebook constitutes an active prototype of instrumentarian society, not a future forecast

Evidence

This is not a rehearsal. This is the show. Facebook is a prototype of instrumentarian society, not a prophecy. It is the first frontier of a new societal territory, and the youngest among us are its vanguard. The frontier experience is an epidemic of the viewpoint of the Other-One, a hyper-objectification of one’s own personhood shaped by the relentless amplification of life lived from the “outside looking in.” The consequence is a pattern of overwhelming anxiety and disorientation in the simple act of digital disconnection, while connection itself is haunted by fresh anxieties that paradoxically leave too many feeling isolated, diminished, and depressed. — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1481

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the frame ‘instrumentarian society’ as an operating prototype rather than prophecy — a defining term central to the book’s argument.
• CANDY: ‘This is not a rehearsal. This is the show’ is a memorable, quotable one-liner.
• XREF: connects to: Facebook’s vision subordinates whole societies, not just users, to its predictive embrace — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1279; Facebook builds fabricated social realities that normalize surveillance as interaction. — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection: How Data Is…, 348; Facebook’s behavior modification operates covertly at scale with no social or legal controls — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 955 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Instrumentarian social principles operate as lived facts on current platforms #corroborates (0.92) — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1493
• Facebook’s behavior modification operates covertly at scale with no social or legal controls #corroborates (0.88) — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 955
• Facebook builds fabricated social realities that normalize surveillance as interaction. #corroborates (0.85) — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 348
• Future social forms are present within the current system, not outside it #expands (0.82) — Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic…, 466
• Facebook’s adolescent-designed practices were institutionalized for the whole population #expands (0.78) — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1423