The next big commodity is the mineable self, Pg6

Key Highlights:

• A global market is emerging where the "self" is the new commodity, impacting various domains of human life.
• Industrial capitalism is now focused on extracting value from human sociality, including friendships, family connections, and digital lives.
• The market for stories is driven by the seduction of the global, with a hunt for local mythologies and characters that have universal themes.
• OTT (Over-the-Top) streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime are colonizing the market and driving the story economy.
• The rise of the self is seen as both an expression of enlightenment values and a potential tool for exploitation in the digital era.

Detailed Insights:

• Mining the self involves profiling individuals on a deeper level, extracting affinities and social ties, and rendering privacy and trust obsolete.
• Local news has transformed into a prismatic refraction of global issues, changing the texture of locality and blurring the lines between the global and the local.
• The multiplication of the "I" and the "Me" is evident even in AI, where bots are being developed to display human emotions and intuitions.
• Streaming services are contributing to the rise of "unknowns," mid-market actors and characters who appear ordinary, reflecting a trend toward the democratization of the self.
• The classical individual is becoming an unstable composite of credit scores, actuarial charts, and consumer profiles, challenging the traditional concept of a unified self.
• Everyone now has the right to a self-centered story, leading to a market where individuals can seek help from influencers and platforms to enhance their narratives.
• The global market for selves is fueled by the idea that every self has a story and that every story deserves an audience, driving the exploitation of personal narratives.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Surplus Value: The value beyond the labor required to produce commodities, which becomes profit for owners and managers.
• OTT (Over-the-Top): Streaming technology that relies on the Internet, bypassing traditional media infrastructures.
• Democratization of the Self: The idea that individuals have the freedom to craft their own identity, but also the potential for exploitation.