Widespread life monitoring grew from the 1980s onward

Evidence

The growth of computer-to-computer monitoring for marketing purposes was only part of a more general growth, starting in the 1980s, in the monitoring and shaping of life at a distance. Much of this data gathering requires no subterfuge, because it is a basic mode of operation in corporate intranets, networks of environmental sensors, and scientific data collection—that is, “new types of sensors are constantly becoming available.” — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 115

Categorization

• QUESTION: Worth chasing: how does the 1980s dating of ‘monitoring and shaping life at a distance’ interact with the data colonialism frame’s claim to historical novelty?
• XREF: connects to: Surveillance of things historically preceded and enabled surveillance of individuals — Michel Foucault, Discipline & Punish- The Birth of the…, 223; Continuous bodily surveillance now distinguishes lower-status from higher-status jobs — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection: How Data Is…, 86

Broader Connections

• Continuous bodily surveillance now distinguishes lower-status from higher-status jobs #corroborates (0.75) — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 86
• Surveillance of things historically preceded and enabled surveillance of individuals #qualifies (0.70) — Michel Foucault, Discipline & Punish- The Birth of the…, 223