In September 2006, Mark Zuckerberg released something that would completely change Facebook—a Feed. You could now see if your friend got dumped by his girlfriend or if someone you met last night posted a photo of you (w/ someone else) that was supposed to stay under lock and key.

When the feature launched, hundreds of thousands of people wanted it removed. Employees pushed to shut it down. There was a protest at Facebook's Palo Alto headquarters. Privacy concerns were raised, but the data told a different story: people were actually using it. Facebook's engagement rate shot through the roof.

This isn’t unique to Facebook. People say they care about privacy—there are even documentaries trying to convince them that they should care—but I don’t think they do. They want to though, probably for mimetic reasons. Imagine the TikTok For You page causing controversy because it shows you videos of people that aren’t your friends. Not too long ago, that would have been shocking. It’s clear the Overton Window has been heavily pushed since 2006. The EU’s mandate requiring "Reject / Accept all cookies" pop-ups seemed like a massive privacy win—it forced websites to get your permission before tracking you. But now, many people think it’s idiotic and annoying. Meanwhile, tracking on apps like Instagram, Spotify, Find My, and Snap has become normalized, especially in college. It’s a strong signal for the future.

And your little brother isn’t the only one looking at your stuff—Big Brother is too. Governments track you, citing "national security" as the justification. I kinda get it. I don’t think Ron Swanson does though.