Listening to 1984 for the first time. There are definitely worrying parallels to our modern world. It is the social issues that I find most worrying, even though we have technology far more powerful than what is presented in 1984. I'm almost halfway through, I'm very curious about how the book will end.
What prompted me to start listening was a coworker bringing up the Oculus Quest 2. I pointed out that it required a Facebook account, and he was entirely unconcerned. I had known he wouldn't care, but it really got to me how little people value their privacy. I realized I didn't have any good arguments for why he should value his privacy.
For me it mostly stems from a worry that the collected information will be used for witch-hunts in a possible future where the US has fully fallen to a fascist regime. I recognize that most people will find this to be a stretch, but it's a vague fear I've always had.
@louispearson My rationale is a little bit more comprehensible to others (though only slightly): If my personal data is so valuable that companies are willing to give us a free account and then make BILLIONS off of our personal data, don't you think we should get a cut? Shouldn't I be able to make money off my own personal data? If I can't make money off of my data, some big corporation shouldn't be able to, either.