Newspapers and TV couldn't (a) Collect as much, if any, individual data (b) They couldnt tailor their content on an individual basis (c) There were not as many

Newspapers and TV couldn't (a) Collect as much, if any, individual data (b) They couldnt tailor their content on an individual basis (c) There were not as many sources of data tracking your likes, location, buying patterns, eating patterns, entertainment patterns, writing patterns, voting patterns, reading patterns, etc. (d) Those sources of data could not be collated together I think fundamentally the issue is that too much personal data is being collected, and put together, making profiles on people that can be used and abused. Social media is the first major area where that data is being employed and often being deployed irresponsibly (although I question the idea that so much personal information could ever be deployed responsibly).