“ Every time we read a page of text or click on a link or watch a video, every time we put something in a shopping cart or perform a search, every time we send an email or chat in an instant-messaging window, we are filling in a “form for the record.” … we’re often unaware of the threads we’re spinning and how and by whom they’re being manipulated. And even if we were conscious of being monitored or controlled, we might not care. After all, we also benefit from the personization that the Internet makes possible—it makes us more perfect consumers and workers. We accept greater control in return for greater convenience. The spider’s web is made to measure, and we’re not unhappy inside it.
—
The Big Switch, by Nicholas Carr
Reviewed here:
http://www.douglaskarr.com/2008/04/20/the-big-switch-nicholas-carr/