Most people have no idea the amount of data available about them. They may suspect in an abstract way, but this is entirely different to being confronted with t

Most people have no idea the amount of data available about them. They may suspect in an abstract way, but this is entirely different to being confronted with the extent of your own data and understanding how it can be used against your own interests. They're also looking to how others are reacting, to see whether they should be concerned or not. I think many Social Media Co.s have mistaken their customers' distraction and obliviousness for consent. It reminds me of an acquaintance who made questionable tax claims one year, and didn't get audited so went a bit further each year, growing on the confidence and feeling of a forming 'norm' that came from getting away with more each year. Tax office audits in my country are pretty random, but I will always remember his ashen face when the audit finally did come. (I have a feeling this is a known psychological effect, but I can't remember the name of it.) So too, I'm guessing social media businesses feel that with each passing year they are accruing more implicit consent by virtue of seeing no real kickback from their users. I feel when kickback finally comes, it will be a tipping point and their business model will be difficult to continue with, in the regulatory landscape that follows.