ESC.fyi is an emergent work-in-progress

ESC isn’t an organization. It isn’t a platform. It’s a call for all of us to recognize a movement that’s been building for years—a movement to define and defend our digital human rights.

Our digital selves are imprisoned. It’s time to escape.

The web is a wonderful thing. But in the past 20 years, while we were clicking, the attention economy and surveillance capitalism have re-shaped the online world, and our lives.

In the attention economy, websites, apps, and social media platforms are designed not to help us, but to keep us hooked, to maximize the amount of time and attention we spend on them. Why? It’s to generate revenue through advertising and data collection. Our attention is the product that the advertisers want to buy. So platforms do all they can to harvest it, label it, and sell it to the highest bidder. The problem is that our attention is a finite resource, and too much of it spent online can have negative impacts on our mental health and well-being.

Surveillance capitalism refers to the practice of corporations collecting and selling our personal data to advertisers and other third parties. This information is used to build profiles of us that are then used to target us with personalized advertising. This data can even be used to manipulate us and influence our behavior, often without our knowledge or consent. It also undermines our privacy and security, making us vulnerable to identity theft, cyberattacks, and other forms of online exploitation.

In short, the attention economy and surveillance capitalism are at odds with our well-being. We need to unite to end this system, take back our attention, build and support alternative platforms and tools that prioritize our individual and collective well-being.

Are you with us? Here are ways to learn more, to get involved, to show support, and take action.

Want to get involved?

Curious? Educate yourself: (Resources Coming Soon)

  • Read these books
  • Follow (or connect with) these people
  • Gather at these events
  • Listen to these podcasts
  • Try these platforms/tools
  • Watch these videos
  • Support/join these organizations