The social quantification sector is defined by data extraction, not by device type

Evidence

The hardware area includes manufacturers of digital devices that extract and use social data, from laptops and tablets to phones and watches to gaming consoles, robots, cars, drones, and so on. A manufacturer of a “dumb” television set would not be part of the social quantification sector, but any manufacturer of a “smart” device (a product that collects and analyzes information about its user) would be included. This sector also includes the manufacturers of the infrastructure required to run the social quantification sector (routers, servers, transmitters, and so on) and the service providers that deploy hardware to deliver internet and phone access to individuals. — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 196

Categorization

• DEFINE: Being ‘dumb’ versus ‘smart’ hinges solely on whether the device collects and analyzes user data — clean operational definition of the sector boundary.
• XREF: The dumb/smart device distinction echoes Zuboff’s ‘dumb’ vs ‘smart’ framing in surveillance capitalism and the reader’s existing attention/platform school work. — connects to: The social quantification sector spans ICT and entertainment, not just data infrastructure. — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection: How Data Is…, 185; Criminal data theft is integral to the social quantification sector. — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection: How Data Is…, 204

Broader Connections

• The social quantification sector spans ICT and entertainment, not just data infrastructure. #expands (0.82) — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 185