It’s an old story. Adam ate an apple and was cast out of paradise. In the digital age, billions have committed the same sin: they gave their information to platforms, exposed their lives, and in return, were promised or gave away, a false paradise. Web2, through the social era, saved people from loneliness but put their privacy on the bargaining table and most didn’t even realize what they were sacrificing.

The Loss of Privacy: The Break Triggered by the ‘Share’ Button

By the late 2000s, platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were no longer just about interaction, they were about identity. People began building and updating who they were on their profiles. The food you ate, the concerts you went to, your beliefs, your rage, your politics - it all became part of a digital diary.

As content piled up, a new commodity emerged in the background: user data. Your likes, your clicks, your connections, all mapped out. Every move, every tiny preference was turned into meaningful fragments stored in giant data pools. What makes someone laugh? What do they share? What triggers them? All of it became algorithmic and sellable.

Cambridge Analytica: The Scandal That Broke the Dam

2018 marked one of Web2’s darkest chapters. The Cambridge Analytica scandal exposed that data from over 80 million Facebook users had been harvested without consent and used for political campaigns. It was a live demonstration of how a person could be manipulated purely through social media data.

From that moment on, privacy stopped being something you could toggle in settings. Every click became a code revealing the truth of your life from political leanings to shopping addictions. The more platforms learned about you, the more they earned. And the more users learned about themselves, the more powerless they felt. But what did they do? They kept consuming.

Data Is the New Oil, But Whose Oil?

The ad revenues of Web2 giants like Google and Facebook began to surpass the GDP of some countries. But where did the money come from? Simple answer: from people’s data.

People turned into data-producing machines - 24/7, even while asleep. Activity trackers, location services, smart home devices, all became gears in the machinery of digital surveillance capitalism.

Ironically, the more content users produced, the more intensely they were watched. The most “free” platforms were the ones demanding the highest price in hidden privacy costs.

The Age of Manipulation: The Dark Side of Algorithms

Here’s a hard truth: data wasn’t just used to sell ads, it was used to shape behavior. Algorithms preyed on people’s vulnerabilities. Clickbait, polarization, outrage, fake news storms… all optimized for more clicks, more engagement, more revenue.

YouTube recommendations, Facebook feeds, Twitter trends, the endless scroll of Instagram and TikTok, none of it was neutral. All of it was engineered to keep your eyes glued to the screen. At some point, our fingers instinctively knew which way to swipe.

Digital Sin: The True Cost of the Apple

Adam ate the apple and was cast out. The builders of Web2 (platforms and their owners), and those who built within it (users), all paid the same price: they gained access to information, community, global capital, and engagement but lost their privacy, their agency, and at times, their grip on reality.

A generation was born into this system without even realizing what was lost. The next one is now trying to fight back, detaching from centralized platforms, reclaiming data, defending privacy, often using blockchain technology. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. Once the data economy is unleashed, there’s almost no going back. Especially when the rules are written by giants.

So, What Now?

This third chapter of InfoFi revealed the dark underside of Web2. Next, we’ll explore how, even within this exploitative system, users began building their own economies. Yes, this is where Big Slice of Cake comes in.

Who truly got their share? Who settled for crumbs? How did the platforms grab the best seats at the table? We’ll uncover it all in the next chapter.

See you next Sunday.

It’s an old story. Adam ate an apple and was cast out of paradise. In the digital age, billions have committed the same sin: they gave their information to platforms, exposed their lives, and in return, were promised or gave away, a false paradise. Web2, through the social era, saved people from loneliness but put their privacy on the bargaining table and most didn’t even realize what they were sacrificing.

The Loss of Privacy: The Break Triggered by the ‘Share’ Button

By the late 2000s, platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were no longer just about interaction, they were about identity. People began building and updating who they were on their profiles. The food you ate, the concerts you went to, your beliefs, your rage, your politics - it all became part of a digital diary.

As content piled up, a new commodity emerged in the background: user data. Your likes, your clicks, your connections, all mapped out. Every move, every tiny preference was turned into meaningful fragments stored in giant data pools. What makes someone laugh? What do they share? What triggers them? All of it became algorithmic and sellable.

Cambridge Analytica: The Scandal That Broke the Dam

2018 marked one of Web2’s darkest chapters. The Cambridge Analytica scandal exposed that data from over 80 million Facebook users had been harvested without consent and used for political campaigns. It was a live demonstration of how a person could be manipulated purely through social media data.

From that moment on, privacy stopped being something you could toggle in settings. Every click became a code revealing the truth of your life from political leanings to shopping addictions. The more platforms learned about you, the more they earned. And the more users learned about themselves, the more powerless they felt. But what did they do? They kept consuming.

Data Is the New Oil, But Whose Oil?

The ad revenues of Web2 giants like Google and Facebook began to surpass the GDP of some countries. But where did the money come from? Simple answer: from people’s data.

People turned into data-producing machines - 24/7, even while asleep. Activity trackers, location services, smart home devices, all became gears in the machinery of digital surveillance capitalism.

Ironically, the more content users produced, the more intensely they were watched. The most “free” platforms were the ones demanding the highest price in hidden privacy costs.

The Age of Manipulation: The Dark Side of Algorithms

Here’s a hard truth: data wasn’t just used to sell ads, it was used to shape behavior. Algorithms preyed on people’s vulnerabilities. Clickbait, polarization, outrage, fake news storms… all optimized for more clicks, more engagement, more revenue.

YouTube recommendations, Facebook feeds, Twitter trends, the endless scroll of Instagram and TikTok, none of it was neutral. All of it was engineered to keep your eyes glued to the screen. At some point, our fingers instinctively knew which way to swipe.

Digital Sin: The True Cost of the Apple

Adam ate the apple and was cast out. The builders of Web2 (platforms and their owners), and those who built within it (users), all paid the same price: they gained access to information, community, global capital, and engagement but lost their privacy, their agency, and at times, their grip on reality.

A generation was born into this system without even realizing what was lost. The next one is now trying to fight back, detaching from centralized platforms, reclaiming data, defending privacy, often using blockchain technology. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. Once the data economy is unleashed, there’s almost no going back. Especially when the rules are written by giants.

So, What Now?

This third chapter of InfoFi revealed the dark underside of Web2. Next, we’ll explore how, even within this exploitative system, users began building their own economies. Yes, this is where Big Slice of Cake comes in.

Who truly got their share? Who settled for crumbs? How did the platforms grab the best seats at the table? We’ll uncover it all in the next chapter.

See you next Sunday.