The term social in social quantification does not imply social coherence or order

Evidence

A few words of clarification about the term social quantification sector are needed. When we say social quantification sector, we use the word social to refer to that constantly changing space of relations and interconnections on which the quality of human life depends but whose meaning is endlessly contested in political and civic struggle. When we use the word social, we do not necessarily mean a well-ordered or well-integrated way of living together. For at issue in this whole transformation is precisely the quality of life that human beings will have together in the new capitalist social order. The capture of personal data through social caching and its storage for later profitable use—normal today but two decades ago barely imaginable—has major implications for our quality of life as human beings. — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 38

Categorization

Category: Definitional Content

• DEFINE: Clarifies that ‘social’ in ‘social quantification sector’ names a contested space of human relations, not an ordered community — an important careful-definition move for a contested term.
• QUESTION: How exactly does ‘social caching’ (storing captured personal data for later profitable use) differ mechanically from surveillance capitalism’s recording apparatus? Worth clarifying the precise scope distinction.

Related

• Social quantification is a subsector of the wider ICT business sector (similarity 0.81)
• The social quantification sector spans ICT and entertainment, not just data infrastructure. (similarity 0.80)
• Social quantification today serves corporate private access, not societal legibility. (similarity 0.80)
• Data capture for profit is a recent, quality-of-life-altering development (similarity 0.79)