Average people don't know about this. Even if they did,they don't understand the implications. This is truly concerning,as in I have serious doubts about this

Average people don't know about this. Even if they did,they don't understand the implications. This is truly concerning,as in I have serious doubts about this society's short term survival. I don't mean as in democracy or cultural survival but wars,civil unrest and all the other nasty horrors humans cause on each other. It seems only a matter of time until those things happen,except this time the masses are controlled and their behavior analyzed and influenced ever so more efficiently. The west hasn't seen the type of surveillance that goes on under terrible regimes,where they use your friends and family to monitor you,and when you fall out of line you get "disappeared". I think people here in the west just assume that type of stuff only happens in north korea and other 3rd world countries. Maybe Germans who lived in east Germany can relate. Anyways, the common man's ability to stop tyranny or even help victims of tyranny goes away when the common man can't hide his views,inclinations,associations and activities even if he/she wanted to. Think of all the great wars,movements and struggles in history and all the heroic acts that shaped the present. Could any of them succed if everyone was using facebook and google and the "bad side" controlled these companies? I can't decide whether it is overconfidence in democracy and western governments or reckless ignorance of history that has made the existence of these companies in their current form tolerable. I think we're nearing(or have passed) the "point of no return". Maybe we are living in one of those "prelude" years before an era of unthinkable chaos and worlds turning upside down begins. The risks,potential casualties and how much it would take for peace to return all seem exponentially higher. I think some sober thinking is needed. Facebook,google,amazon and friends can all operate well(even better) while eliminating most of their capacity they have to monitor user activity and without mining and analyzying user behavior. Really,they have the money and the technology exists to allow that to happen. What lacks is the will.